


Snowbite

by Amongthedeep



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Female Character, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Canon LGBTQ Character, Canon LGBTQ Female Character, Canon LGBTQ Male Character, Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Drama, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gay Male Character, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, LGBTQ Character, Lesbian Character, Light Angst, M/M, Original Fiction, Storytelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-03-18
Packaged: 2018-08-17 05:44:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8132554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amongthedeep/pseuds/Amongthedeep
Summary: Slayja and her brother are dying of cold and hunger in the middle of the snowy mountains, when there's no more hope, she's prepared to curse the mountain and all its inhabitants. She did not expect for the Other creatures to appear.





	1. Slayja

**Author's Note:**

> Finished on 18/03/2015, this is the longest work I've ever written, and so it has many flaws.

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=flaueu)

"For all that is good, Brother, get up!" I screamed, the tears down my face freezing. "For me, please, for me!"

His pale purple-blue body lay on the snow covered trail, his lips frostbitten, his face no more than a hollow skull. I grabbed his frozen hands and pulled at them.

"Get up, I beg of you," I whimpered, feeling the strength leave me. "If you don't, then I won't either. I'll curse this rotten mountain."

His lashes flickered every so briefly, his brown eyes accessing me with a strength his body does not possess. "Leave without me...I can't...You can still live."

I shook my head at him, anger surging through me. "No, I will not. If you give up, so shall I, but this mountain, they, will suffer for eternity, mark my words."

He exhaled, his breath mixing with the dawn's fog. "Don't. Please, beloved sister, leave me be. We can't be far..."

"I don't care!" I shouted, too tired to cry anymore. "I won't go on, I can't do it."

I pulled at his thin hands, so thin they are taut flesh on top of bone. He staggered up, swaying on his feet. We're almost the same height, so I grabbed his thin carcass of a torso, and started walking. His breathing is so shallow, I could barely hear it; his feet shuffled clumsily through the deep snow, his boots frozen to him. He didn't have any strength left, but I couldn't leave him. My older brother, who gave me his food and water, who looks no more than a skeleton walking. How could I leave him like this? How could I leave him behind? I was tired of walking, of crying, of suffering. Martian had been the first to die, to the full grief of our parents. Then, they had died to preserve us, but I would not let my brother die to preserve myself.

I was too tired for that. I wouldn't roam this world alone, that I wouldn't.

He tripped, over what I'm not sure, and dove into the thick blanket of snow. I grabbed him again and pulled, dragging him beside me. We could do this, Erin couldn't be so far away. We'd walked for three weeks now, our parents dead for a week now. How could we have not reached Erin? How?

"I curse you mountain," I whispered, pouring all my grief into rage. "I curse you for killing us."

"Shhh," my brother muttered, barely heard over the biting wind. "Do not curse the mountain, it is not its fault."

I swallowed all my venom, out of love, so that he didn't become upset. A dread seeps into me: we will not live to tell our story.

***

Brother collapsed into the snow. We'd barely walked for another ten minutes, but his body lacked strength. His cough was deep and shaked his frail body so much, I feared his death – not from cold but from lack of air.

He stared into the foggy sky for a while, and I knew I had to urge him. I had to.

"Get up, brother. We've rested now, let's keep going."

His slight shake was no more than a tiny movement, almost lost to the whipping wind, but I knew he could do no more.

"Get up," I warned him.

His shaky smile was sweet, and that of the resolute. He'd accepted his death.

"Get up, now!" I said, and tugged at his hands. "Move, move, brother, for all that his holy!"

"Don't cry," he whispered, trying to lift his hands to clean my salty tears. "You'll survive...you're strong."

His words angered me, an anger that had been bottled inside me for so long since this whole ordeal. I whipped out the knife stashed on my boot and showed it to him.

"Don't," he pleaded.

"Then get up."

He did. Slowly, like a walking puppet, he put his elbows against the snow; bent his knees. He was half-sitting, his breath ragged. I put the knife away from his reach, and grabbed his arm. I pulled, making him crash against me, and steadied him. He tittered like a little bird. The wind swaying him whichever way it pleased.

"Sister," he groaned, his eyes shut. He tried to move, but his feet stuck in place. "Please."

"If that's what you want, I'll do it right now. I'll curse it on my soul, on yours, on our parents, on our little blood. I'll make sure this mountain is forever stained by blood, never letting a living thing breath here. I'll swear it to Aniuma."

He winced, as if I'd slapped him, and grabbed my arms. If he had strength, he would have shaken me and taken the knife, but he did not and only held me gently. "Do not speak her name so casually, this mountain must not be touched like this. Please."

But I was strong in my stance. "Then let's walk."

And walk we did. Few steps as they are, we walked. Both of us crashed into the snow, my hands and feet freezing. I was almost a cubicle, brother was worse. He had given me his food, his warmth, but if it kept like this, we wouldn't make it out of there alive – cursed be the mountain.


	2. Marigold

"Shh," Father said, his bow ready to shoot.

The deer looked up, right at us with its moony eyes, and galloped away. The green forest impeded us from shooting him from a far distance, the deer's quickness and swiftness hiding any possibility from us.

We ran far and wide, trying to pincer the deer. We're swifter than any mortal, our forest protective of us.

The deer passed through the forest and slammed right into the snowy mountain, a little brown dot on the white canvas.

We stopped before trespassing into the rocky, deadly emptiness of it.

"Let's not, father," Andreal said, pushing his blonde hair from his eyes. "I smell a trap."

Father shook his head at us, like we are imbeciles. "We must follow it, see?"

The deer was looking back at us, its doe brown eyes staring, daring us to follow it.

"What in the Goddesses' name..." I muttered.

We ran after it, no choice in the matter. The trees were no more than black stumps closing on us, the snow crunching below our boots loud enough to make the deer ran faster than ever.

We were not tired, running doesn't tire us, but I saw my father's face full of worry. He was not liking this chase, it was unlike any other we've ever had.

The deer jumped from the trees, we readied our bows, and heard a shout from the path. A female shouted. We peered through the trees, into the open road.

"Brother, a deer, brother!" the black-haired girl shouted, sitting beside a body covered in snow. "The Goddess Niumé has sent us a sign, brother."

My father stiffened at the name of the Goddess, and put his finger to his lips. Absolute silence.

The girl shook the concave boy, is he even alive? "Brother, a deer, a deer. Get up, we must follow it."

He muttered so softly, I'm sure only our kind could hear, "I don't have the strength."

She loomed over him, his whole body covered by snow and inertia. She had a knife in her hand, sharp and deadly. "I'll do it now, then."

The human boy did a sharp intake of air and rose, slowly but surely. He was staring at the knife. "Give it to me."

She gave him a sweet smile, but shook her head. "We must thread on."

He planted his pale-blue hands on her shoulders, and I'm sure they are frostbitten by their tinge. "I can't."

He sounded devastated, mournful; the sister regarded him with coolness, her pale face stained red with anger. "Why are you doing this to me? Just a little bit, just a little bit. For me."

She grabbed his hands, kissing them, her tears trailing down into them. He looked pained by her words, or perhaps by her touch.

They tried to walk, she was practically dragging his body across the snow. His eyes did not focus properly, he was almost dead. She trembled with the effort, she didn't have much more strength.

"What do we do?" I asked father, levelly.

"I don't know," he replied, looking as if he's chewing on rotten mushrooms.

***

How long did we look? Perhaps one minute, perhaps five. They collapsed. The girl screamed and cried and groveled, until she had no breath left in her body. She breathed deeply, as if preparing. The knife was in her hands, and she slashed at her wrist deeply. Her brother could only look sadly at her, his lips purple-blue.

"I stand here, as my blood seeps down into this clean snow, that I curse you mountain, I curse your people, I curse your animals. I put this curse with the power of my death and those of my kinsman, my younger brother who you have chosen to take from me; my father and mother, who you deprived of food and warmth; my older brother..." she breathed deeply, fighting tears and continues levelheaded, "who is the kindest of them all. I will curse you in the name of Aniu-"

As soon as she starts naming the name of the Goddess of Death, my father shouted and ran out.

"What do you think you're doing, mortal?!" he screamed, so frantic I can only look at Andreal with surprise.

My father wrestled the knife from her hands, slapping her wrist, causing the wound to close.

"Do you even know what you're doing? Cursing in the name of-"

"I know," she said, staring at him with rage, with distrust. "Are you grimwalkers?"

Father winced, hearing such names pass a mortal human's mouth. "No, we aren't."

"We can help your brother," my brother said, staring at her with a mocking smile. "For a price, of course."

"No," father replied sharply. "We won't take a price, Niumé guided us here, it means you'll be saved mortal."

I helped her brother get to his feet, astounded at how thin he is. I could only feel sharp bones, skin so thin and taut, I could scarcely believe he was alive. The girl carried him with me, looking with as much venom as she could at all three of us.

Andreal whispered with father, and from the way his throat veins were exploding, he was not doing any good.

***

We entered the forever spring forest with relief, though the girl stood in shock. She started trembling and boring her black eyes into us.

"So, there's a forest here and we were allowed to die," she snarled, like a wounded animal.

"Only non-mortals can find the paths," I muttered, not sure I should be telling her anything.

"Of course," she snapped, and pushed with more strength.

Her brother only groaned and shivered, his feet barely touching the floor, but I could smell the fever setting into his bones.

"I'm having a hallucination," he said hoarsely. "There's a hazy green forest, and blinding sun, and..."

We steadied him, before he flayed, and kept walking.

"It's not an hallucination, it's real, brother. It's real," she said sweetly, a wide relieved smile in her lovely face.

Pity she only had that expression with him, for she looked at everyone else like they were trying to kill them.

The wood cottage stood proud in the middle of the prairie, smoke billowing up gently.

"I've never seen such birds, sister, look, look," he said, trying to point into the direction of the nightingales.

"Shhh," she said, and rubbing his back in circular motions.

Father came out with a wooden basin, steaming with hot water. Andreal followed with the spare towels.

"You must warm his feet and hands, before he loses them," father said, and helpped to lower him into the foot of the cottage.

"I'll do it, all of you leave," the girl snapped, crouching down and taking his boots.

I inhaled the sweet, musky air of the woods sharply. His feet were bloody, horrendous mess. Father snapped at Andreal to fetch the aloe vera ointment, and clean linens.

"I know it'll hurt," she said, staring at us to bugger off," but you must bear with it. You must."

He nodded so slightly, it could have been the breeze rumpling his frozen locks. Andreal brought another basin with steaming water, so I took it from him and put it beside the boy's hands. They looked like icicles, and needed to be warmed as soon as possible. She glared at me meaningfully, but I ignored her and duck his left hand into the water.

I expected him to scream, but the hoarse groan that sounds like his lungs collapsing is worse. The sound of someone being tortured without having strength to act accordingly.

Her black eyes were filled with hate, but she ducked his feet in the water and his groans instead of intensifying, diminish.

"Tell me when your feet start tingling," she cajoled, rubbing his feet very slightly, to clean the blood.

"Hah, hah," he breathed. "Hah, hah. No...more..."

"Shhhh," she whispered, and started humming a lullaby.

It was gruesome, the state to which he whimpered and trashed so slightly. His fever seemed to intensify, and he sweated more and more. From the look of my father, we didn't know if he would survive.

He twitched after the 3rd, or perhaps 10th, bathing of his hand. His brown eyes looking at his left hand in wonder.

"Can you feel it?" I asked quietly.

He looked at me and nodded, a flicker of a smile gracing his ashen face.

I nodded back and did the same to his right. She popped his blisters and made sure there was no swelling. So far, none had come.


	3. Slayja

I had to cajole and beg him to lay quietly in the bed, while I fetched the herbs. I'd seen them. They'd hurt him, his stomach was retching with water, but it would soothe him and also make him feel full. I did it in a hurry, I did not trust those inhumans, their eyes were those of old beings, they were the enemy, and they'd try to kill us. Of that, I was sure.  
I peeked at brother, resting and looking haggard, from the kitchen. You could see the bedrooms from it, and I had demanded the first bed for him so I could keep an eye out. The old one, with the golden curls bunched into a ponytail, seemed to dislike my demands, but I would not back down.  
I was putting the herbs into the water, with them hovering all over to see what I was doing, when the old one spoke. He didn't seem above thirty, but his eyes denoted ancient.  
"I am Alrun, my sons are Andreal," he said looking at the blonde with the brown eyes," and Marigold," he pointed to the raven-haired, blue eyed one that had carried my brother. "If you would be so kind as to tell us your name and your story."  
Could they do anything with our names? Grimwalkers couldn't, but they had said they weren't. Brother wouldn't lie, he was too trusting of these peoples, of any people. I clenched my hands and looked into their eyes. "I'm Slayja, my brother is Ulial."  
I poured the drink into a wooden cup, and Alrun stepped forward, smelling it.  
"Where did you get this concoction?" he said sharply.  
I glared at him and strode to brother, my head held high. I wasn't about to tell them secrets that were none of their business.  
I felt their stare at the door. Trying to intimidate me, where they?  
"Brother," I called gently, "wake up."  
Almost as if he had been awake all along, his eyes fluttered open and graced me with a sweet smile. I could almost weep from relief.  
"Drink, it will do you good."  
The second he sipped, his body trashed, spasming against it. His hand clawed at his chest, at his stomach, until his breath quieted down, and he could look at me. Fever full eyes.  
"Again, just a bit."  
He nodded, trying to reassure me, but he spasmed again, fighting for air and sweet mercy as he gave another sip.  
"You're killing me," he muttered, faintly.  
"Nonsense, it'll make you strong. The strongest, then we can leave and go to Erin."  
"Erin?" Alrun said. "You're very far from Erin."  
I whipped back, frowning at him. "What do you mean? We've walked for three weeks now, we must be close to Erin by now!"  
"Erin is in the opposite direction from which you came," the black-haired one said, Marigold was it?  
"Opposite?" I blanched in horror. Had we been so out of direction? Impossible, we started in the direction Erin. "Are you saying we've either circled around from Erin's direction to here, or that we were never on the right path?"  
“Yes,” Alrun nodded. “By now, you'd have long reached Erin."  
“So we were blown off course,” I muttered, trying to relax as I made brother sip a bit more. “All their deaths could've been avoided, but something, someone...”  
I shook with rage, wanting to scream at the mountain. It had done this. It hadn't been only the village. The mountain itself was trying to kill us. But why?  
“Sister, no more,” he pleaded, his face contorted in hurt. He sniffed the drink, tasting it properly in his mouth. Uh-oh. He stared at me, his head poised to look right in my eyes. "You know I hate it when you drug me."  
“Shhh,” I said, pushing his hair from his face. “It's just to help you sleep restfully.”  
“No,” he said, devastated. “I don't want to sleep, I'm afraid I won't wake up.”  
“You will, I promise you, so drink. Only one more big swallow and you'll sleep.”  
“Big swallow?” he muttered, his face full of distaste.  
I made him pull a long drag, and swallow it with pain. He folded into himself, making my heart ache with worry, but returned to normal – if normal was the word to use – and closed his eyes.  
"Wake me," he pleaded.  
"I shall," I promised, kissing the top of his head.  
***  
They cooked fish and potatoes, lentils and carrot as side-dish, Alrun supervising while Andreal cooked, Marigold setting the table. I could tell they wanted to talk, stiff and jerky movements each time they came closer to me. My stomach rumbled at the smell of warm food peppering the air, and I could only sigh in relief over this whole predicament.  
"Sit," Alrun said, serving the fish.  
I eyed his children, noticing how they're swift and deadly, and do as suggested.  
The fish was moist and succulent, dribbling juice on the plate. The silence was awkward and irksome. If they wanted to say something, they should just do it.  
"So," Alrun started," both of you will have to help in the house."  
My jaw clenched, and I set the fork down. "You're going to make my ill brother help in the house?"  
"No, when he's better, or," Alrun paused and added meaningfully," in a different way."  
"And what different way is that?" I said venomously.  
"Telling the stories of you Gods and Goddesses," Alrun suggested with a glance.  
I frowned, not understanding. "Why would you want to know? If you know them, then they are the same."  
Alrun shook his head. "Perhaps, perhaps not. I wish to know without mixing your lore with that of ours."  
"Which village do you come from?" Marigold interjected.  
Glancing at him, I stared at my empty plate. “What does it matter? All you need to know is we've been thrown out of it. That's all.”  
“So, do you agree?” Alrun continued.  
I glared at him, knowing brother would say yes. "You'll have to ask him. If it depends of me, no, I do not agree." I shrugged.  
***  
Brother agreed with a frail smile on his pallid face, he was ever the people-pleaser and storyteller. Alrun all but said outright that as soon as he could eat and speak, he'd have to regurgitate the stories we'd heard since we were small children tucked into our shared bed. I had the sensation he disliked humans, especially the variety that knew his Goddesses. If that propelled him into killing all of the people in our village, I'd help him light them up. It would be the best kind of revenge against them.  
Our village was a small burrow inside the mountains, the weather was a fickle mistress toying with us. We were surrounded by all sides of mountain, a small path that led to Erin through the wilderness, the boars were vicious but a good meal and plenty of them abounded through the thick, inner forest. The past two years had been specially the worst that we'd experienced. Crops withered and died - too much water; not enough water. The people got suspicious, though, because our crops stood to wind and rain, not all of them, but enough that we wouldn't go through famine.  
Their suspicions were right, I was indeed what you'd call a witch. Though, not the variety that cursed or be-spelled people. It had been growing inside me, this pull, since the weather eschewed to try to kill us.  
On a fine rainy and misty morning, I arrived at our crops after piling up blankets and clothes, and still I could feel its cool touch on my lips and legs. The crops were withered and dead, all of them. I cried on the spot, knowing we would die if this continued, and felt that sweet pull that warmed my hands and face in such comfort that I followed it.  
The crops were vivid green, pearly and shiny, as I saw the cabbage, carrots and potatoes basically come back to life. No longer feeling the warmth of the pull, I ran back inside the house and cried to my parents about the fact I was cursed. I'd been touched by Niumé, and that meant I'd been touched by Aniuma too. Death and Life, cursed to bring it and to unleash it.  
My parents trashed the vegetables, while Brother saved a couple of them, just enough so we could survive, because: “Dear sister, surely if it compelled you to use your powers, it's a gift from the Goddesses.”  
I was glad and happy that they did not see me as the Death-bearer and cursed.  
Except, I did. I brought it unto them.  
The village grew more and more fearful of us, not knowing who had been touched, until late one night, we awoke to fire and smoke.  
We took the food and water, clothes and blankets, that we could carrying them without letting them see. I could've stopped that fire, knew it inside of me when I looked into its depths and could see the unseeable dancers looking back.  
We departed towards the small path leading to Erin, confident we would make it before our provisions disappeared and the chill set inside of us.  
Erin was a small town compared to the others in Algraid, but compared to our village it was like comparing a rock to a boulder, but colorful and acceptable, in some ways, of those touched. My parents made plans to go beyond Erin, another small village, for in Erin Grimwalkers existed and not being able to tell them apart until you're staring into your death was not ideal.  
So we trudged along, fine for the first week. Icicles in our hair and eyebrows and beard, but otherwise, we were alive and healthy.  
We kept walking and walking, carrying Onor between us so we wouldn't deplete all our strength. The path kept going on and on, the mountain always surrounding us, the black stumps not changing from one to the other.  
Onor gained a fever, at first it was the lightest of fevers, just sweat. By the end of the day, as the Winter Sun dropped down from us, he would heat us so high we were sweating ourselves. It destroyed me, knowing I had this thing inside of me yet no matter how much my parents begged, nothing came to me. I couldn't save him, no more than I could have saved our village from the chilled rain and whipping wind. I was powerless.  
Funny, isn't it? To be powerless when you have this thing inside of you. Yet that was exactly what I was.  
I did not want revenge out of their throwing us out. No, I wanted revenge for trying to kill us. For not talking to us. I would never have done anything that hurt them, but now? Now it was inside me, burning high, consuming me.  
Brother stood by me, recounting the old stories to my parents, clearly showing them I wasn't helping Onor because I was a monster or because whatever. I was blocked from doing it unless it felt like it. Prisoner to its whims, though I could reject doing anything, yet it would siren you into using them.  
They thought I'd brought the bad luck to our village, death to them. Yet what could I do? I didn't have my powers two years ago, it wasn't something obvious that'd jump at me all the time.  
After Onor died, they stopped eating and gave us their blankets and food. They'd lost their will to continue after walking weeks on end, always stuck in the view of that damnable mountain, and urged us to press forth.  
I think they just didn't want to watch us die, neither did they want us to see them like that. I could already imagine them, two frozen statues hugging each other.


	4. Marigold

It took a week for Ulial to start eating. While that happened, we pestered Slayja to give us her story. It was no more than the expected, though her bitterness and flat eyes were scary, it was puzzling. Did they not know that those touched were blessed, not cursed, by the Goddesses? Perhaps this was why Father wanted to know their lore, after all, only the truly misguided and deceived could believe it was a curse.  
It was powerful, yes, giving the mortals abilities that went far above what they should possess, but it was innocuous. We had ten times more power than a single blessed human could ever possess, they were weak and frail. They would still die to the environment and to famine.  
Slayja did not show us any powers, and the way she talked about them, the usage was involuntary. Father relaxed after knowing that, having someone wield their power to try to destroy our meadow and house was a disturbing thought.  
During the day, Slayja took care of him. Changing his bed sheets, cleaning his fever sweat, his clothes, and washing them in turns, feeding him a remedy that she should not know. She did not call it by name, but to us it was the BerryGold, it healed us instantly. The same was not for the human, Ulial kept having a hard time breathing, coughing a lot, and it was hard to keep water and food down on his stomach. The remedy seemed to fill him, give him some color and fullness. Father had concluded he would not die.  
"He has too much will to live," he remarked, as Slayja slept and I was at his bedside checking him.  
“What do you think will happen with her if he does not?” I asked, curious of his hypothesis.  
He sighed. “Let's hope not, with powers as fickle as those, she is a loaded arrow.”  
“You think he is the bow?” I said surprised.  
Father merely nodded and returned to the outside, star-gazing, while Andrea looked outside the window.  
It was silly to be this cautious and defensive that she would wake during the night and try to kill us, but the possibility niggled.  
One such night, he awoke from his slumber, tired eyes regarding me.  
“She is asleep, but if you want,” I said, starting to rise from my seat.  
He gave me a tired smile, his face fuller than before, and shook his head. “No need,” he rasped.  
I realized I'd been holding his hand when I felt his hand clenching on mine. His grip was still weak, but there was strength there. Father was indeed right, he would survive. Whatever propelled him or made him hold unto life while they left their village and braved the snow was still going.  
“You'll be okay,” I assured him. “Do you want anything to drink or eat?”  
He adjusted in bed, supporting his body on his elbows. I could see how tired that made him and I settled him.  
His face reddened, looked at the water and back at me. Was he embarrassed because he couldn't even drink a cup of water by himself?  
“It's okay, I'll get it.”  
He drank it avidly, and I was captivated by the little pink tongue scraping at his cracked lips. It made me feel strange, a heat rising towards my head and making my face pulsate. I rushed out to find lip balm, for some strange reason, I was fixating on them and what they would feel like. Father wouldn't be happy if I consorted with a human male, besides he wanted granddaughters, since he'd been unable to birth any daughters.  
I sat down in place, noticing his brown eyes looked streaked with silver because of the moonlight, and showed him what I'd gotten. A lift of his eyebrow was all I got as I opened it and smelled the peaches and cream, wondering why I wanted to eat them and not exactly by myself.  
“I noticed,” I said, clearing my throat of its thickness, feeling like I was doing a ceremonial offering.  
As he smiled gently at me I understood, it was sweet, he was sweet-looking and I wanted to make him smell sweet. Perplexing thought, but it was what it was.  
He let me. Spreading it made me feel giddy as I touched his dry and cracked lips, felt how soft they became and how I could feel small breaths on the tip of my finger. They looked plump, shiny and eatab—I mean, much healthier than before.  
“Does it hurt less?” I whispered.  
If Andrea got wind I was fawning over the human boy, I'd get a lot of jabs. After all, I'd never been much interested. I'd consorted with our kind, and it'd felt good and hot and sexy, yes, sticky and messy too, but I'd never noticed small things. How eyelashes looked frail while cradling soft eyes; how there was a little scar on the bridge of the nose which made me itch to stroke it and know how it happened; how soft and inviting hair can look and make my palms twitch to stroke it.  
He shrugged, causing my mind to the present. “I didn't really...feel it.”  
I nodded satisfied, they did look much more invit—less abused.  
Andreal scoffed behind me, his eyebrows raised as I looked at him. “Finished coddling the human?” He sneered and raked his hand through his hair. “Father wants to talk, since you didn't notice it.”  
Rolling my eyes at him, and giving another cup of water to Ulial, I followed him outside.  
Father rolled the shiny stones between his fingers, face focused on the stars. He didn't look at us as we sat in front of him.  
“Let's go through our plan again.”


	5. Slayja

Brother was finally healthy enough to sit at the table. I'd made him some potato and celery soup, since it was still hard for him to swallow. He sipped at it, his hands trembling from the effort, but he was tired of being coddled and taken care of. “I need to step up,” he'd said, and proceeded to try to take care of himself in small ways, like changing his pants, cleaning from the hips down. He was embarrassed, after all I knew how I would feel if I was in his position, but we'd seen Father and Mother naked, and each other too, plenty of times because of bad weather. It was normal, though embarrassing, and no one commented. If it made him feel better to take care of his genitalia, then so be it, but I knew how tired and costly it was to him. Bathed in sweat from the effort, his breath going thin, but it made me feel better, warmer, to know he was improving.  
"Will you tell us a story?" Alrun piped up, sipping at his milky water.  
I was going to protested but Brother smiled and nodded, sitting back in his chair and clearing his throat. Wanting to slap inhumans wasn't the wisest, but knowing he was not yet well enough and they were insisting just because he could eat now? It made my blood boil. I chew extra hard on the carrot and eyed them apprehensively.  
“Do you have a preference...?” Ulial said, looking at them in turn.  
Andreal just shrugged and went back to his fish, Marigold smiled politely and shook his head. Alrun seemed to debate with himself until he spoke.  
“Why not tell us the story of your Niumé? You clearly saw the deer as her sign, start from there.”  
Brother nodded, looking relieved, and sipped at the water, hands still shaking. His lips were still cracked, and he was horribly pale.  
“Niumé is the Goddess of Life, sister to Aniuma, and she uses animals as her messengers. Specially deer, for they're the most connected to the forests in which she inhabits.” Ulial sighed and sipped more water. “The story in which we know her is of the hunter.”  
“The hunter entered the forest like he did every day, whistling and happy with himself, crossbow at his hip while he scanned for deer. When a deer appeared in his path, he followed it, trying to kill it but the deer was too swift, too intelligent. The hunter felt tired, and lacked breath, he was not used to chasing his prey in this way. When the deer finally stopped, he rejoiced. That was 'till he saw the most beautiful maiden stroking its head. Golden locks like wheat tumbled in the air, her scent of spice and earth ensnared him. Her skin was the most peculiar brown-red tone, that contrasted with that waterfall of hair. She smiled at him, as he approached slowly too stunned to know what to do.  
'Who are you, fair lady?' the hunter asked.  
He wanted her for his bride, and all he could think was that he would get her at any means possible.  
Niumé introduced herself as such, not the Goddess, but she gave him her name. Stunned by the rich, warm tones of her voice, while he blinked, Niumé disappeared from his sight. There stood the deer, taunting him, and ran.  
The hunter, seeing that the deer was connected to the lady, stalked the deer through forest and rivers, Spring to Summer to Autumn.  
He was haggard, shaggy, dirty, he had barely stopped in his pursuit of the deer. If he had lain in a tree, he would have slept a week, such was his tiredness. He ate what was in front of him, no animals, only fruits and raw vegetables, when he found them.  
Deep in the forest, sitting near a little stream, was Niumé, just as he remembered her. Yet he was stunned once more by her beauty, by the way she attracted him.  
'You've come,' Niumé said, laughing.  
He smiled, feeling like everything had been worth it, and sat near her.  
'Marry me.'  
Niumé smiled sadly at him and stroked his face, trembles racking his body at her gently but firm touch. The deer's brown-black eyes never left the hunter, as Niumé rose, the deer attacked the Hunter.  
The Hunter had no weapons, long discarded and lost while he scrambled after his prize. He pushed at the deer, as its teeth ripped apart his stomach, pulling at his bowels, the stream tainted red-pink, while Niumé watched.  
Her eyes on him were calm and warm, yes, but the Hunter felt paralyzed. He screamed hoarsely, no strength left on him as he got ripped apart, for the deer did not eat him. The Hunter cried and pleaded, as his dying was imminent.  
'You've what you wanted. The death you brought, the death you've caused, will be turned into life from you,' Niumé said, cupping his face.'It is your payment for the life you've consumed for sport, and for thinking I'd consort with you.'  
Completely eviscerated, Niumé tossed his insides and organs into the earth that surrounded the stream, from there, the water carried life and health to the near villages, that like ours, needed and so Niumé brought life into our fields."  
Brother drank deeply from his milk-white water, I wasn't sure what Alrun had done to the water, but it tasted like normal water.  
Alrun studied us carefully, finger tapping his chin, and nodded at us.  
"It was a worthy payment," he said, frowning. "Though it is disturbing that your tale is very, very close to ours."  
Brother looked confused, his tired and shadowed face starting to sweat.  
"For today it is enough," I bit, rising from the table and helping Brother do the same. "You need rest"  
I got a smile from him and took him to his bed. I was half-tempted to go to Alrun and have a little talk but at the same time, Ulial had agreed to do it. He wasn't the best judge, though, of neither moral nor of his limitations.  
My jaw clenched. I knew very well the extremes he would go for, just because he felt his duty was taking care of me. I sighed and rubbed my aching temple.

I was being watched by Andreal. If I went to the forest to fetch some water from the pond, or doing laundry, or even herbs or raw vegetables, he was there. At first it annoyed me, but beggars can't be choosers, and made him help me since he was hovering.  
He sneered at me when at point-blank I told him to help me. When I tossed my black hair behind my shoulders and glared at him, telling him that if he wasn't going to help then to get the hell away, he grumbled but did it.  
Saying I grinned in victory is mild, he scowled at my almost doing a happy dance.  
At night, Marigold watched over Ulial, Alrun away from the place, whispering with him whenever Brother woke and needed to pee or drink water.  
They didn't make him tell any more stories, especially after he had to stay bedridden because of exertion.  
Weeks went like this. I felt lulled into peace and quiet, getting used to this place. I liked going to the meadow, spicy herbs scenting the air, watching the hazy green-yellow that bathed it as the sun warmed my face. Telling yourself that you're walking around to make a plan to leave, beyond Erin, perhaps outside of Algraid, isn't very legitimate when I fell asleep on it and awoke startled by noise. Andreal was looking at the setting sun, as if nothing was more important that it, when I knew he was there to spy.  
I knew they disliked the fact I'd been touched and now had a curse, I could see how that went against them since they considered humans the lesser of the species, which was true, but having someone of the lesser species that still poses as a threat? I'd be alert too, if I was in their position.  
Entering the wood house, that I was starting to suspect was made by controlling the trees themselves, I headed to check on Ulial.  
I stopped on the entrance. Marigold was holding his hand, talking gently while brother gave him one of those sweet smiles, and the way he was looking at him. Affection. Marigold had affection for my brother? And either Ulial was oblivious or he liked it enough to encourage him.  
My brother and an inhuman holding hands, and not in that patient-healer type of way, their hands were laced, thumbs stroking.  
It was like a slap to my face. He was trusting them. Heck, he was borderline flirting, though he certainly didn't have strength to talk, but it was the small details. If Marigold had been a kind human who'd taken us in because of the goodness of their heart? I'd say go for it. But they were inhumans and their letting us stay was ticking away.  
I opened my mouth to tell them to get the hell away from each other, when a hand pressed my mouth and throat.  
"Quiet, human," Andreal growled. "They haven't noticed we know, and you aren't going to mess this up."  
Whirling at him, I bared my teeth, though I whispered. "You think I'm going to let one of you corrupt my brother? You don't have to worry, we'll leave soon enough."  
He cocked his eyebrow. "To where and how? Your brother is too sick to not stay here, and if you think you can do a disappearing act you're deadly wrong."  
"Is that a threat?" I snarled.  
"Slayja?" brother called.  
I whipped back and entered the room, glaring at both of them.  
"I was just telling them that we're leaving soon," I said, watching Marigold as he regarded me stunned. Brother was quiet. "We can't stay here, we need to go to Erin and then go away far enough of Algraid. Go to the mainland, they'll welcome us there."  
Still, he said nothing, regarding me pensively.  
He smiled. "Is that what you wish?"  
Marigold looked down, not doing any eye-contact.  
"Yes, we'll be safe where there's no grimwalkers and nobody can get suspicious."  
Ulial nodded, sipping at a glass of water near him. "Okay, we can do that."  
I wasn't expecting Marigold to storm outside, one minute he was there, another he wasn't. Now I knew why Andreal said we couldn't escape or leave if they didn't want us to.  
Brother himself looked wonderingly at where Marigold had sat, which meant he didn't notice the flirting.  
It made me sigh in relief, that meant he was on my side and wasn't getting enchanted.


	6. Marigold

It'd been a week since Slayja dropped her announcement. It hadn't been the best reaction, Andrea had seen it. I was waiting for his and Father's lectures. They didn't look or act differently, which made me more on edge. Knowing I'd been so obvious to them, though not to Ulial who still regarded me the exact same, I stopped holding his hand or looking at him.  
It was safer to keep any more of these feelings and memories piling. Laying in bed, I would remember the exact shade of his eyes, the way his lips had felt between my finger, how I'd like to stroke his jaw and collarbone and cheek. It wasn't love, that I knew, but attraction and feelings mix together. I'd seen it happen to Father and Andrea, knowing he was leaving made it easier to disconnect.  
I sensed his puzzlement that I no longer took his hand, not that it'd been the most innocuous of touches, the warmth of his hand lingered on mine even after a week of no contact. Even far away from him, I could still smell him, the fever on him yes, but that rich, warm scent underneath it was vivid to my senses.  
Slayja knew, she had been the most suspicious of Andrea and Father, but now it was to me whenever I was near his bedside. She would glare pointedly at me, not that he noticed. I understood that he was older than her, his parents leaving him in charge. Knowing this wasn't exactly accepted from both fields made it easier to detach. Not easier to forget, or the itch to talk and look, but it centered into a ball easy to lock in a box.  
Or at least it should. It should be easier to forget, to detach, but it wasn't. I wanted to spend time with him, getting to know him, know what he liked and disliked, his dreams, his past lovers, what he tasted like. I'd never been infatuated with anyone, especially someone who was bedridden and human and frail, more than anything, I was confused.  
I sighed as I ate near the stream. I needed clarity and space between him and me. He obviously didn't see, notice or feel the same kind of want. It was greedy, hearing him speak made me want to listen to more, feeling his touch briefly made the want for his touch to be languid and sensual.  
I didn't know how to stop that barrage of want anymore than I knew what to tell them when they finally confronted me.  
Andrea sat beside me, his golden locks floating in the air, picking the sunlight and shining, his brown-black eyes fixed on the running water beside us.  
I sighed. "I know, you and Father don't have to tell me it was stupid to get this attachment to the human. It's nothing, either way, it's probably because its been so long since..." I waved my hand, not wanting to go further than that.  
Andrea frowned, locking eyes with mine."They can't leave unless we let them. She's being ignorant and stupid, they wouldn't last. The Winter is still blowing away with ferocity." He shook his head and stared at the midsummer sky.  
"We can't hold them against their wishes. Whatever our purpose was, if they are to leave, then they will."  
He snorted."You're far too naive. Niumé took us to them, to save them, but perhaps there's something more." He added,"Besides, they haven't finished their Goddesses storytelling."  
I frowned."You can't be serious, we can't hold them over old stories. Just accept and move on, I will."  
Or at least, I'd do it. Nothing time didn't dull, specially attraction.  
"Father won't let them do whatever. Besides, she's only knee-jerking because she noticed you two all moony." He shrugged at my glare. "What? It's true. You weren't exactly subtle."  
Sighing again, I rose."I know, I know."  
It was bizarre how stronger he'd grown. Ulial sat in a chair inside the kitchen talking and laughing, mellow and lazy, with Slayja. Watching them vibrate with life and good-humor was interesting. Slayja without any of us around was cheerful, her smile making her younger than looked when she distrusted us, her hands animated. Ulial, now that he was better, seemed at ease inside our house and looking at him objectively, he'd definitely gained some weight, his cheekbones were less pronounced. His fingers and knuckles didn't look like they were popping out of his skin anymore. I doubted he was the weight from the village. He was as tall as me, but he'd been wider, I could tell by the way his shoulders were broad, his collarbone corded. I wanted to ask him if he had a lover, who he'd fucked or been fucked by, but that didn't sound like what a stranger who'd ask. I doubt I'd appear innocent enough to pull it off.  
Andrea and Father were good at seduction, at understanding and manipulating the ones that got under their liking. I, on the other hand, got laughed by them for being too simple and direct. If they were a twisted zig-zag, I was the straight line. I disliked games of seduction, of the sort you fucked other people in front of them in order to make them jealous, to make them see what they were losing. If I was attracted, I'd approach them. If they didn't want to, then that was it. Andrea sneered, saying that if I'd tried a few of his techniques I'd get whatever I want.  
But why would I want to manipulate someone into going to bed with me? If they didn't feel attracted or wanted to fuck, I didn't feel enthused to go beyond that.  
If I was Andreal or Father, I would seduce the human in a sordid game of push and pull, cat and mouse, teasing and frustrating. Except, I didn't want to seduce him. He was going to leave and I wasn't about to get into anything that could hurt. We lived long, emotional hurt would last forever if it was deep enough, a scar staining us. Father still grieved Mother, it was why he hadn't had any more kids after us. Though he was considered an expert, strong in power for a male, and a good lover. I'd never know what had happened with Andrea, but after his clandestine romance happened, he became cynical and jaded. He derided anything that he considered naive and star-stuck, the ones directed at me. He wasn't mean though, and whenever an extremely manipulative, of the eat and be eaten variety, approached me he'd enter into a little seduction with him. The first times it had happened, I'd been furious. I felt like he was rubbing that whoever he wanted, he'd get, even if at first they were attracted to me. That was until I heard the rumors and whispers of the lovers they'd hurt for fun.  
I was thankful I had a protective family, but wanting for the humans to stay in order to coddle me was not okay.  
At dinner, Father asked them for another story. Slayja held Ulial's wrist and glared at us, but didn't object when Ulial smiled and nodded.  
"Any story in particular?" he said.  
My breath stopped as he looked into my eyes, I counted the light strokes of creamy yellow, cast by the lights, inside his eyes. I looked away. Father and Andrea didn't have anything in specific to say.  
"Let's go with Niahmal then, her story is interesting." He beamed at us and cleared his throat with a few washes of life-water, though they had not realized. "Niahmal is the Goddess of Ocean, though she is the Goddess of rivers and ponds and all that is water, but her realm resides in the Ocean and so that is her official title.  
"A fisher family, used to fishing in shallow water, had to go into the wide ocean for fish there was in abundance and the rivers no longer had fish. All the fish had fled into the ocean, after growing in the sweet water. But Niahmal was a call inside them, so they followed and served her. The boat had many years in their family. It was made of dark wood, rotten in places, in others so weathered it was bleached of color just like bones, its yellow sails chewed by wild rats. No one would normally use such a thing, but the family was starving. They had no choice. They'd hauled fish, tears streaming down their faces, the young daughter helping by fetching empty buckets. It was while the child was below deck that the weather worsened, like only in the ocean it can, it went from midsummer azure into gray slates in the blink of an eye. The wind whipped at their hair and clothes, the salt air burning their faces, ripping at their clothes, the chill seeping into them." He shuddered, clearly remembering his own experience and drank water. "People saw the way the weather had changed so suddenly, begging forgiveness to Niahmal for fishing in her domain, and wept. Niahmal was not involved. She had no such qualm with the humans fishing in her waters, for all waters were hers.  
The family's boat started spinning out of control, the aggressive waves pushing and pulling them farther away from the shore while they tried to direct it to safety. The middle son got tasked to go down below deck and protect the sister, while the eldest son gripped the flapping sail.  
Still, the boat was too old and tired. With the crashes of the waves, its outsides started splintering, the insides drooping. It wasn't long until the boat folded into itself and drowned into a whirlpool.  
The sister got swept by the water, and held onto floating planks, until the middle brother rescued her and held a basket for her to put her head in. He swam with her outside of the boat, though he couldn't breath, she had air inside of it. The whirlpool pulled and sucked at them, they kicked harder and full of fear until they broke into the surface. They coughed bitter water and looked around, their own tears mixing with the ocean as they were alone.  
They floated while the waves crashed at them, pushed and pulled, but they kept a firm hold unto the floating wood around them, the basket secure between them. The sister fell asleep, too tired and scared to stay awake, the water lulling her.  
When the sun appeared in the sky, cleaning the sky of any greyness, there was no land around them. The middle brother swam carrying her, but he was tired too, and no matter how much they advanced, no one appeared, no land in sight.  
Their fingers wrinkled, the cold made them numb and hunger and thirst tired them more. It wasn't long until the day finished, bringing starlight and the whipping wind with it. They shivered, crying for their family and for themselves. No shore, no people, no boats, no food, no water, no warmth. Only the buoyant water, its salt stinging their cracked lips, its coldness numbing legs and arms.  
The sister caught a fever during the night and started hallucinating, calling for their parents, thinking she was safe and warm, she smiled and laid on her back. She was hugged by their parents, each on her side, her brothers on the other side of the parents, laughing, talking, smiling and eating and drinking.  
When the fever finally declined, she was drier than before, though still damp. When her bleary eyes opened to see where they were, she did a double-back and screamed. The middle brother, following their parents orders, put her on top him, and had floated on his back to serve as a platform for her. His eyes saw nothing as the cotton-morning sky reflected in his empty eyes. She would have puked, but there was nothing inside of her. Not knowing what to do, she stayed on top of him. At least, if one day they got found, they'd be together and wouldn't die lonely.  
So it was with bafflement and anger that she saw shore. A little island, speared peaks all around it, the floor made of jaggy rocks, but safe and dry. She shook her brother, trying to tell him they were safe, but he didn't move. His body was bloating as it was, and soon would be too heavy to float.  
Though she was weak, she pulled her brother towards the islet. It took her long, made her wearier still, but at least she dumped his heavy as mountains body into the floor. The floor was a bit damp, and it hurt her feet, her shoes long lost. She stared into the empty surroundings, there was nothing in the islet. At least, nothing at naked eye. Knowing she would die if she did not found food and clean water, she rose and poked at the loose rocks in the small platform. From inside a couple crabs came out, which she grabbed and pulled their claws even as they dug into her fingers and palms. She ripped their moving paws and cracked them against the floor, one by one, pining them with her feet and legs, not caring that they made her bleed from her tighs and ankles.  
She pried open the five crabs she had caught and ate them raw, it made her gag and sob and her stomach protest both food and its state, but still she fed.  
The islet was too small to have any little puddle of water, so she grabbed the basket and put it beside her, praying to Niumé and Niahmal for rain. It did not come and she soon fell asleep.  
It was night when she awoke, not from cold, but from rustling. She got up and looked at long dark-blue robes, seaweed hair wrapped in a big green plant of different tones compared to the green of her hair. Her eyes, pale jade, fastened on her and bestowed her a warming smile. On the basket was water, beside it was raw fish freshly caught, a net and harpoon where on the other side.  
She cried as she realized what was missing. 'Where is my brother? What have you done to him?!'  
Niahmal crouched to her, and held those damp and warm hands in her chilled face and said,'I will honor him like I have done to your parents and other brother. They asked me for your protection. Your brother begged me through his prayers for your safety in exchange for his. So I provided you with shore and food and water. And I will from now on come here, make sure you are well.'  
The sister was too stunned to do anything else than sob into the kindness that the Goddess emanated, from her voice to the contact on her hair. She wanted to tell her that she did not want to live where her family no longer would be there to stroke her hair and catch nuts and berries to feed her when the fish was scarce, that she would have given her life if it would have saved her family. But not even that she could make pass through her raw throat.  
Niahmal left, the water parting and enveloping her as she stepped on it, waving at her.  
She drank the water avidly, the fish was disgusting and full of scales, but it made her sleep peacefully.  
Years went by, she got used to the raw fish, in fact preferred it, she could not even remember anymore what cooked food tasted like. She'd become an expert with the harpoon and the net, catching seagulls from the air when they dived for the fish. It made her cleansed her pallet and made her feel better.  
Niahmal did indeed visit each day, at different times of the day, bringing peculiar creamy yellow fruit full of spikes, that had to be cracked open and scoop out its moist insides with a spoon, or in her case, the tip of her harpoon. You could say that Niahmal grew fond of the girl, for she asked her to come live in her kingdom, and taught her about the seas and the rivers, about their dwellers, about people, reading and writing, songs of enlightenment and help.  
The girl, though, grew distrustful. After all, she could've saved her family but she did not. She'd let them die and only saved her because of her brother's sacrifice. So she declined and thanked her, saying she wanted to return to shore, seeing the world she had so long ago lost.  
Niahmal did not get angry when she said no, but did not take her wanting to leave well.  
'Sweet child, you're one of us as one can be. You could no longer eat what you once ate, than you could back then eat what you can. You've become one with the ocean, with us, I do not intend to prisoner inside of my kingdom if that is what you fear. You'd get food and you could any creature, we could travel. Would you like that?'  
The girl declined, not wanting to provoke a Goddess nor compromise.  
Niahmal started needling her to come visit, at least, always sweet and warm, stroking her hair, combing it with a coral brush, bringing her clothes spun from algae, warm and waterproof, and seaweed. She accepted the invitation, curious.  
At night, though, it was not the Goddess that came. It was too early for the agreed hour, when the moon was so high in the sky that its silver water tainted the ocean. A travel vessel passed by, slowing down as they saw her, now a grown woman, standing there like the sirens of stories. They docked near enough and came by boat, men upon men, filling the islet, too small for her, and now cramped with them. They pulled at her hair bleached by salt air and water, its blondish-green color from the sun mixed with the salt and with the coral. Her hair had been dark-brown when she was younger, and it was still if she had washed her hair. But clean water was precious, and she washed with the salt water.  
They hooted and hollered, trying to touch her more, pulling at her dress, ripping the harpoon from her hands. Throwing her to the floor. It had long ago stop hurting her, her feet callused, her body as used to it as before. But her head hurt, she grew disoriented as they closed all around her in a circle, undressing her, touching her breasts as she screamed, kicked at another. One of them slapped her hard enough to taste metal, another held her legs wide open, another her arms as she trashed and pulled. She sobbed and pleaded with them, their hands touching her sex, penetrating her with brutal force, making her nauseous and hurt.  
When it was finally over, she could barely move, too hurt and stunned. If this was what humans were like, then they could all die. She muttered songs of destruction, of hate, of revenge, of death, cursing them on the name of Aniuma, of Niumé, of Niahmal, invoking unto them all the hurt they'd done to her."  
Ulial stopped, breathing hard, his face flushed and tired, but also discomforted. He did not like the tale, we didn't like the tale any more than them. Without knowing, I stroked his arm absently, receiving a warm smile that made me stop, and drink some life-water myself, looking at Father. His jaw was clenched, but he wasn't looking at me.  
"Maybe you could finish it tomorrow?" Slayja said, glaring at me.  
"No, besides, it's best if I do it in one go," Ulial said, a bit wheezy.  
"When Niahmal arrived at the agreed time and found her protegé in a fever-filled ramble, her eyes unfocused, she could barely believe it. She touched the girl softly but received screams and mutters and curses, sobs breaking through them.  
Niahmal held her to her body, letting her trash until she grew too exhausted and looked at her.  
'It's okay, they will pay.'  
The girl smiled at that promise of revenge and fell asleep.  
Niahmal brought to her kingdom, sharks around them for defense, and placed her in her bedroom. The girl hallucinated of it over and over, until Niahmal gave her goldilock, stopping her fever, her sickness, brought her to the present. Her happy and gloating smile, the shine in her eyes as she had asked curiously about all sort of things, was gone now. She stared with pale and flat eyes, not even looking around.  
One by one, Niahmal brought the prizes of the men that had raped and hurt her, and placed in front of her as proof, and to do as she wished. The girl smiled at them, in an absent kind of way, and threw every single one into the blue-white fires and watched them burn, flames burning her eyes.  
It took long years to find, catch and do revenge, but the girl did not change her appearance. When the last one was brought, she confessed she felt lighter, the revenge and fear and hate less intense, but it gnawed at her. She would've liked to kill them all, with her bare hands, but just the idea of touching them, feeling their skin against her made her want to vomit, made her grow sick.  
Perhaps it is of no surprise that Niahmal first cared for her as a daughter, then as a protegé, but by the end of the long years together, Niahmal grew fond of her. She did not push, nor try anything, for she would be no better than the sailors and rich counts. She did start giving her gifts made of coral and salmon-stained bones, clothes spun from spiders and algae equally, trying to make her more invested and interested, getting her out of her shell.  
When at last she got of their shared bedroom, Niahmal stroking her back, the little fire she had before grew. The kingdom was made of seaweed stone, the lights fixtures all jaggy bones, Niahmal telling her each creature of her kingdom got their bones used to protect it even after life, the pavement stained coral and light obsidian, that reflected the lighter tones of the ocean to light up the place. The girl had expected to see other humans, other people, other Gods, but Niahmal was surrounded by the deep sea creatures, but the only human figure were both of them. She asked for her parents grave, for surely Niahmal knew.  
Niahmal took her hand gently and led her through spiraling paths, it felt like going down, but when she looked behind her shoulder, they'd gone up. Where the water was more green than blue, where the sunlight illuminated the waves into gold rivers. Niahmal told her a whale had died a few days before the wreck, she'd used the whales bones to make graves for all four of them. They were intricate, the bones full of script she could not understand, animal engravings in others, almost like limbs stretching towards the surface, a passage of bone.  
The girl, no she was already a woman, was not as oblivious as Niahmal taught, for she kissed Niahmal, murmuring songs of thanks and gratitude and of life."  
He stopped and fidgeted with his sleeves, looking around.  
"Go on," I encouraged.  
"I'm going to shorten it, I'm not..." He swallowed, his throat bobbing up and down.  
"You're the teller," Father said with a nod of his head.  
"Well, to make it short," Ulial said, sighing. "Niahmal was very happy that the girl opened up to her and started living with her, taking away some of the loneliness she hadn't realized was there. When the girl would've been old enough to die, Aniuma appeared before Niahmal. All white hair and tanned skin, creamy-yellow eyes focused softly on the girl. Niahmal pleaded with her, she'd never had a lover before, one that was part-eager and part-giving in the way the girl had turned out. But goldilock only blooms once in a hundred years, and the effect was its end. Niahmal begged, summoned Niumé, talked to them both, explained that they were in love.  
Aniuma stopped her with a wave of a hand. 'Let us not forget the thirty men you killed.'  
Niahmal sobbed into her hands and grabbed the lilac-white sleeve. 'I did justice, nothing more.'  
Niumé intervened, grabbing each one. 'Let us not fight, sister.'  
But Aniuma grabbed Niumé's golden locks and pushed forward, kissing her.  
'Do not go above me, she has lived this far, and you will bow before the decisions. She was not to die, but now it is her time.'  
Niumé stroked Aniuma's platinum hair, trying to change her mind, but while Niumé and Aniuma were the strongest Goddesses, Niahmal was as strong as the other middle-level Goddesses, and could no more defy them.  
But Niumé made a promise with her. 'She will die today, but she will return to you as a water sprite. I promise you.'  
Aniuma was angry, for humans did not have deserve the gift of eternal life as spiritual creatures.  
'I hope you have not forgotten the states of your rivers,' Aniuma snapped. 'For your people are dying, because you are too busy playing love stories.'  
'Aniu, my love, under the oath she made to the family, she did what was right. And I'm doing what is right. It is indeed her time, but that does not mean we should be as...thorough as needed. There is no reason at all why she should only die.'  
'You're not asking her!' Aniuma retorted. 'Have you asked her if she prefers to be forever entwined with her or with her family? I have not heard such a thing.'  
The human did not know what to say, for it was true. She could go finally join her family under the bone-garden, or she could stay with a Goddess that was part-scary, part-kind.  
Niumé and Aniuma kept discussing, though their hands would stroke each other arms and faces and hair, their tone did not gentle until the human came forward.  
'I would like to stay with Niahmal, if that is possible. I will still keep my parents, for they're here, and truthfully, my memories of them are vague.'  
Aniuma did not lose her contorted expression and enveloped the human, the girl disappearing and becoming no more than ash. Niumé touched the rippling water and from there pulled and shaped the girl, though now with fins and blue-tinted, and when the creature opened those seafoam eyes she did not regard any of them with affection of love. She did not have memories, but her essence was from the same place as the human had been, and while her ears and eyes and webbed-hands and tail were different, the shape of her face and of her hair were the same, and so was the way she smiled coyly at Niahmal.  
Safe to say, till today they're dancing under the waves, making memories, walking through the rivers making sure there is always fish for the mortals, while they visit what they couldn't before."


	7. Slayja

I was intrigued by all this goldilock thing, especially since I was looking closely to Alrun's face. His eyes shifted momentarily to my brother and then back down to his hands, rotating that copper ring of his. Later, I told brother about it, he only shrugged.  
"I don't see why you're putting so much stock on this," he said, ruffling her hair as if she was still eight.  
"Because they reacted," I snapped in a whisper. "I bet it exists, I bet they know where it is, and I bet it really does make us immortals like them. Strong, powerful."  
"Sister, have you been forgetting the part that it only blooms once in a hundred years? Or the part where being immortal is never the answer? We have these stories to pass us wisdom. Niahmal received her lover back, but at a costly prize. It was the same if she had died, because it was exactly that. We always pay the price for our choices, and the level you're talking..." he said, shaking his head.  
"You only say that because you're scared. From where I'm at, I'd snatch it in an instant and give it to you!"  
"But...I don't want to be immortal, you'd die and then I'd be alone," he protested.  
"So what? You'd be healthy and we could just leave all this behind. Far away from them inhumans, from the grimwalkers roaming these islands. Besides I can't stand M-..." I looked away, not saying his name, knowing perfectly well brother wasn't making googly eyes at the inhuman. "Besides, you said you're lonely, if so, you'd want a lover and where will you find it here? You'd be up and running, we both would."  
"I have no idea why you're so eager, I...like it here," Ulial beamed.  
His beam was directed at Marigold outside the window, laundry flapping in the slight breeze of this place. So he was not as oblivious, or did he not realize his own expression? I was tired of not knowing.  
"Do you fancy Marigold?" I asked at point-blank.  
His eyes swiveled towards me and his smiled died down. "I..." He cleared his throat. "I quite like what I see, yes, I'll admit."  
I pursed my lips. "You've seen thousand of boys your age that had dark floppy hair and blue eyes."  
He cocked an eyebrow. "Five isn't thousand, and it felt like incest. We knew everyone and they were more like annoying brothers than anything else. He's...nice."  
I barked a laughter. "Nice? For fucks sake, he's a fucking inhuman! Are you out of your mind?"  
"I don't get what you have against them, they've been nothing but polite and helpful," Ulial said, disapproval written on his face. "I realized I...fancied him, as you put, after he stopped stroking my hand. It felt really nice, makes me lonely that he doesn't do it anymore. You said something, didn't you?"  
"I did not!" I said outraged. "I haven't asked him what he thinks he's doing with my older brother, he's ensnaring you. That's what they do, all you'll be left is bones when he's finished with you. Maybe not even bones."  
"He hasn't even said anything to me besides how this place functions, telling me this place is perpetually in spring and summer, parts of it at least. The sky is from summer, the earth and the forest are from spring, the house is situated in a pocket of summer so it's always warm. Perhaps you should talk to them more th-"  
"Stop," I put my hand out. "So you aren't going with me to Erin?"  
I had to fight tears, he was speaking so fondly of him. If they'd found us before they did our parents would be alive, perhaps even Onor. How could he not see it?  
"Of course I will, you're my sister," he said with a kind smile. "I'm not going to let you go to Erin alone because I like some good-looking fellow."  
"I just don't understand why you would, it's their fault mom and dad died, and Onor, they didn't find us, they didn't want to help us until I summoned, tried, Aniuma."  
He wrinkled his nose. "It is not their fault, they are not Gods, child of them yes, but they don't have omnipotence. If you want to blame someone, blame Niumé for only sending her sign just as we were dying."  
"T-that's blasphemy!" I said horrified, looking around to make sure no one suddenly appeared to kill us. "What if they'll curse you too? I'm already cursed and..."  
He gripped my hand, his thicker and warmer than mine. "I haven't been honest with you."  
I opened my mouth to reply, but he covered my mouth.  
"Listen to me. Think back when two years ago was, when the storm started coming. Think, Slayja."  
What had it been? It had been the festival of life and death as the day grew bigger, Niumé gracing us, and the night shortened so that Aniuma could rest and make a blind eye at us. We had eaten pumpkin pie and goat-milk cakes around the bonfire, music and dance fleeting around us. Gold and red and brown as our colors, the houses painted freshly in white to honor Aniuma and make her stay away. I had been sixteen, my birthday long past while the nights were long, chanting happily a birthday tune. Brother did his eighteen year during that summer-spring, he'd taken the banjo from the hands of a musician and played it in dulcet tones, the old songs of life and rebirth, of warmth and care. I still remembered how warm and blanketed I'd felt, it'd brought tears to my eyes, ragged breaths as all this magic spewed together. Except it hadn't been real magic...  
I stopped and looked at him, astonished. No, it had been real magic, I could remember the same heat I'd felt that day among the cabbages, the same heat among the fire.  
"You're lying!" I shouted, scrambling from my seat. "Liar, liar, liar!"  
I couldn't contain the tears down my face, or my sobs echoing through the room as I swayed in place. He rose from the bed, trying to console me but I backed away.  
"It's your fault!" I said accusingly. "You made the storm come, and you let our parents believe I could save Onor when you could too. You're so full of shit, I...I."  
I ran away, leaving my traitor of a brother behind, and hoping that the magical heat came so I could kill him with my bare hands.  
He'd used his magic to sing the songs, to make them 'come true' except they hadn't, they'd made it worse. They'd wrecked everything, it was all fucked up and I'd been guilty since the fire, no, since the cabbages, when he was the same and he'd deceived me, deceived our parents, let me take the fall. I'd done everything to protect and secure his place here, his status as alive through the blizzard and he hadn't even confessed until now? What the fuck. What the royal fuck.  
I was tempted right there to summon Aniuma with my blood and offer my life as a pledge to take this whole place down with me.  
Because I deserved revenge, I deserved justice.


	8. Marigold

Ulial sat in the chair right in front of the window of our living room, blankets secured around him. He looked lost in thought, eyes scanning the entrance of the forest and our front garden. There was nothing there, Andrea had followed after Slayja, to make sure she didn't do anything stupid after the shouting. I wanted to weave my fingers through his hair, cup his cheek, tell him everything would be fine. Family fought, brothers squabbled, then they'd make up and forget.  
Perhaps it was because he looked so...alone, loneliness in the stretch of his shoulders, that I came nearer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
He glanced at me, lips chewed, and pressed his hand on mine. His temperature, perhaps human temperature?, was lower than mine, his hands were rough and calloused. I wanted to know what he'd done to get them, was it something he loved? Was it a work so hard there was no other choice? It made me want to kiss them better, maybe more than kissing. I liked his smell, wanted to taste the salt of his skin, nibble on the brown freckles spattered at his chest, throat.  
I looked away, this attraction was strange, stronger whenever I was nearer to him.  
"You're both still going to Erin, don't worry," I assured. "She'll come around."  
His eyes met mine. "She doesn't forgive easily. I betrayed her."  
I didn't ask him to explain, it wasn't any of my business, just squeeze his hand tighter, receiving a small smile.  
He tugged me closer to him, close enough that I could smell dandelions in his hair, could see how the window light made his eyes have speckles of copper. It was hard looking at him, being that close and not touch. I momentarily closed my eyes, breathing deeply the scent of his skin, and felt his lips on mine.  
Soft though cracked, I nipped at them, licking the sting away. Tasting and sucking at him greedily, tasted like skin and him. His moist tongue touched my bottom lip, I touched his tip with mine, the taste of clovers and satin. His tongue slid in my mouth, his hand cradling my face and tilting it for better access. I sucked on him, receiving a low moan in exchange that sparked a desire for more. My hands went to his soft hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss, all greedy need. I straddled him, feeling all his heat through the layers of cotton and skin, chest against chest. His hand stroking my flank, my leg, up my spine, down again, squeezing my ass. I rubbed against him, feeling his erection grow, mine responding in kind.  
We were ripping shirts off, and opening up trousers when the door hit close and we jumped away from each other, flushed with desire, sweat covering our temples, a heel pressed at the groin.  
Andrea cocked his eyebrow at us, shoulder against the wall lazily, a smirk in his face.  
"Getting hot and heavy around here, huh?" he sneered.  
I swallowed, my lips still tingling. "Not particularly."  
"That would've worked if your voice wasn't husky and both your lips bitten red," Andrea walked to us and sat in the closest chair. "Just tell me why you're fucking while your sister is throwing a tantrum."  
Ulial cleared his throat. "Is...Is she alright?"  
"You mean, did she do something stupid? Nope, not so far," Andrea grinned, all teeth and bite. "Same can't be said for the brother. You should be outside reasoning with her, not snogging with my younger brother."  
"It wasn't...whatever you think it was," I said, pushing my bangs from my eyes. "Ulial needed someone with him, and comfort. That's all."  
I had to look away, not wanting to see Ulial's expression, I was pretty embarrassed by being caught humping with a human, of all things, while his sister wasn't okay.  
"If by comfort you mean ripping his clothes off, nice job," Andrea said, head tilted to lock eyes with me. "Come on, I'll lead you to your spitfire before you roast yourself on a goddamn pyre."  
Deep breaths and a glass of life-water made me feel better as they left. I wouldn't be able to look Slayja in the eye until they left. Wouldn't be able to look him in the eye until he left.  
I sighed, pressing the heels into my eyes, this was a mess.


	9. Slayja

I couldn't believe my eyes when my brother appeared in front of me, lips red and shining, eyes a bit glazed, his clothes in disarray, his hair tousled like someone, and I could guess who, ran his fingers through. He'd dropped a magical bomb on me and he'd been fucking around with the inhuman?  
"I fucking can't believe it!" I snarled. "Do you even care?"  
Ulial nodded. "I care, I do. He made me feel better, I don't know how to deal with this, I'm sorry, Slayja. I'm not perfect and I don't know how to fix any of it."  
My nails dug into my palms, the sting calming me. "I...I know. I know you aren't perfect. There's nothing to fix," I said, jaw jutting. "You let our parents die believing I was the fucking cause. That's not okay. I want revenge on the village, but what about you? What should I do about you?"  
Ulial was pained, his fingers trussing his hair. "I-I can't help you, baby sister. The weather got crazier when you came into your powers. It wasn't all me. And, we need to move on. We can't get stuck in the past, our parents wouldn't want us."  
"Don't even bring them to the conversation, you fucking ingrate. The village deserves to be punished for trying to kill us. You lied to me, how can I trust you? Answer me!"  
"I can't, I don't have answers. I'm sorry," he said, looking sad. "I agree with going to Erin, beyond Erin if you want, but I'm not going to return to our village to inflict pain and death like they believe. We'd make them right. Let it go."  
As fury and revenge rose inside me, I felt the tug of the powers, seeing the the little fire spirits dancing through the air, between me and him, all around us. I extended towards them, kindling him into real fire. Brother jumped away, looking wary at me, his palms extended. I gave him a cracked smile, because if he thought I'd get placated with that gesture he was sourly mistaken, and guided the fire all around us, cocooning us in. Sweat beaded his hairline, his eyes fixed on the growing fire all around us. Andreal leaned against a tree, looking expectant.  
I threw the fire at him, Ulial dodged to one side, clothes kindling, smoke and heat billowing between us, the balls of flame dancing and tracking his every movement. I made them pincer him, one of them catching a cheek. He shrieked, breathing hard, watery eyes on me, a grimace on his face.  
"Don't make me do this," he pleaded with a wince as another scorched a batting hand.  
"Fight me, goddammit!"  
The heat inside me grew louder than my heart, swelling and beating as the fire grew thicker, caught the grass and flowers around us, flames licking up his boots as he stampeded them.  
The shimmer in the air caught me off-guard, so that was what it felt like when another used power, and a slice of wind slammed into me, throwing me to the ground. Locks of hair fell down into the fire, the stink enveloping me. I rose and slammed fire all around him, though I could feel they weren't touching him, just hovering near him. Wind funneled up from him, dragging the fire with it as I pulled them to surround him once more but the fire was out of control.  
I dragged a smoke-filled breath into my lungs and calmed down, pulling them to me, making them into a huge fireball. I slammed it into his wall of air fighting against my own. I lighted a couple other, smaller ones, behind him and threw them at him. He squirmed and went down on a knee, but his wall stayed in tact. I felt the air snarling behind me as it slammed into me and sent me sprawling to the ground, holding on to the fire with my teeth clenched. My eyes locked on his as I snarled and went deeper, the fire was me and I was the fire and I was going to singe him until I felt better. Until I could accept and let go of his betrayal.  
The fireball grew, beating like a huge heart, its heat soaking me in sweat, huge clouds of smoke snorting from it, I felt in my hands every twitch of it. The air against the fireball finally collapsed and it soared through everything, hitting my brother in his stomach and chest and upper thighs. He screamed, his hands blistering as he tried to douse the flames eating at him. It made me feel so good, knowing I could win, knowing no one could mess with me.  
The flames were blown away by chilly, winter wind, and brother stopped screaming to sob and tremble.  
The wind came from Marigold, as he stood there trembling, his blue eyes fixing on mine.  
"I think that's enough," he said, his voice quivering.  
He went down on his knees, putting Brother's head on his legs, inspecting the burn on his face and clothes. A deft hand touched them, shimmering on top, the angry-red becoming a pale-pink. I licked my cracked lips, stinging with sweat and saliva and started preparing more flames.  
"Is that all of you can do? Wind?" I taunted.  
He didn't even look at me, his hands inside Brother's shirt as he peered inside.  
I was about to flourish them into existing and starting another dance, when I heard some voice in the air.  
"My, my," the nice, grandma voice said. "What we've got here?"  
The sound come from my right where a tiny, fat grandma stood, glasses glittering from the sun, her perm hold back by pins, pink candy-like necklace contrasting with her pale blue daffodils dress.  
I didn't know what to do say or do. What was a nice, old grandma doing in the woods in a different realm?  
Before I could think that through, I felt something slam into me, cutting my air, sending me trashing to the ground. As my vision cleared, all I could see was spindly darkness, nails almost raking me.  
Andreal stood in front of me, a grimace twisting his features. His hand gripped air itself, wielding it like a sword, as he slashed at the creature.  
Grimwalkers, flashed inside my head, it was a Grimwalker.  
I rose shakily, my heart overeager from still being alive, as I focused on its thin darkness. I knew what they were, and their M.O. but I never expected to see one in the flesh. Goosebumps rose in me. If Andreal had not interfered, I'd have been consumed by it. They were attracted to power, it increased theirs, and the way they were able to get it? By eating and absorbing those that had it. They were uglier than I thought, more cunning than I expected. If I'd seen that grandma asking for help, I'd have given it, that was we all did in the village and it was ingrained in me, in my Brother. Goddess, he'd be the first eaten.  
Sharp pain twisted inside me, bringing tears, as I looked at him sprawled on top of the ground as Marigold looked torn at us. Andreal was having a hard-time fighting it, his golden hair was starting to paste on his forehead, and he had gnashes on his arms.  
I had to help, the power was still buzzing inside me, I wanted to help, needed to help. I'd let my thirst get the better of me and injured Ulial, I had just wanted to fuck around and explode until I felt better. Instead, I'd burned him when he wasn't even fully recovered, I'd let my temper get the better of me. I drew in a deep breath, palms tingling as the fire rose like a volcano and attacked that dark creature.  
It moaned and jumped away before Andreal could nick him, regarding us. A wide grin spread in its mouth as it fixed on Marigold and Brother on the ground. Dread filled my mouth like cotton, anger making my fingernails ache with pain. I would never let this creature take away the last of my family.  
"Hey, ugly," I shouted, its eyes focusing on me. "Did you know that its the females that have the most power?"  
Its lips sneered in an ugly twist, and stalked closer to them.  
As I approached them, getting ready for the creature to jump at them, I could discern the shimmering was water or at least moisture. Brother was breathing too hard, eyes dilated. Creeping diagonally, I let the power come from deep within the crust of earth. I could feel magma boiling, its heat singing the tips of my fingers as I grabbed its power, forced it to comply and rise.  
The creature jumped, legs springy and needle-like, claws extended. The magma rose, erupting a small volcano, and became an impenetrable wall of ashes and sulfur. It shrieked, baring pointed teeth at me and them. Andreal came from behind, slashing at one leg, green blood oozing into the receding magma. The hole in the floor kept giving shuddering wisps, the creature's oiliness dripping into the soft, green patch of grass all around us.  
It jumped across the hole, landing in front of me, grabbing my forearms, nails digging in. Its mouth opened up, sucking me into it, draining me of the strength to wield power. I slumped, blood drenching my shirt, warming me at the same time I went colder. Andreal chopped at its back, but the creature did not release me.  
I staggered, trying to push, deeper into the creature -- breath leaving me.  
Vines flew from the ground, grappling the creature's arms, legs, torso, neck, pulling it behind, tightening snakes full of small leafs. Breath returned to me, hiccups following it. I staggered away from where the grimwalker was turning into stone. Alrun came from the deep thickets of grass, power emanating from him.  
"If I hadn't been here what would you've done, Andreal?"  
Andreal said nothing, glaring at the cornfield sky.  
Alrun sighed, approaching the cased grimwalker. "Slayja would be dead, ditto for Mari, for you, for Ulial...I'm disappointed."  
"I was trying!" Andreal snapped.  
"Trying isn't good enough," Alrun said, touching the grimwalker, the place around us mending.  
Ulial rose aided by Marigold, approaching me. I wanted to be far gone, not have to deal with my actions but stayed.  
"Little sister, I love you and our parents, don't doubt that."  
I sighed. "I'm sorry, it just...it all just went to my head and needed the release." I hugged him, engulfing one of Marigold's arms in it too. "I love you too. I shouldn't have, you're still so weak and-"  
"It's okay," he said, rubbing my back. "I'm okay, we just need to talk and it'll be fine."  
We moved inside his room flanked by the warm chestnut walls. The place grew on me while I didn't look, I never thought I'd feel another place as a home ever again. Yet just this place hiding in the middle of a barren, desolate place, felt like it. If one inhabitant of this house had gotten hurt during the grimwalker confrontation, I'd have been sad and guilty. And I looked at Ulial and Marigold together really, really objectively, they were cute together. They didn't touch in front of me, the cute sly glances while the other wasn't looking was heartwarming. My brother was alive and had a crush, how could I begrudge him? It was hard, hard to drop my defenses, admit my fears and vulnerabilities. But I did. Because he had to know I loved him even if he was shagging or whatever the inhuman. And that for inhumans, they weren't all that bad.  
"I'll be damned, she said something nice," Andreal jeered, cocky grin place.  
Alrun sighed, slapping Andreal's arm. "Behave. I think you're nice too, Slayja. Pain modified you, it's understandable."  
"Does this mean you're saying goodbye and leave for Erin?" Marigold fidgeted with his trousers, tugging them.  
"I..." I looked at my brother, warm and soft. "You've shown me I'm not yet good to fight grimwalkers, so we'll stay. For now, I mean."  
Okay, so I wasn't that good at being honest. Couldn't be that open, admit I loved this place, felt like it was home. I was working on it, though, just not yet. It was too soon to be that forthcoming, letting them know they were my second family, turning into it.  
It was worth conceding I didn't care about Erin, though I wasn't admitting that I'd fixated on it as a goal because of my parents, when Ulial grinned warm and open, hugging me.  
"Thank you, baby sister, thank you," he whispered.  
By the way Alrun coughed and Andreal fake-gagged, they heard it. I almost turned to glare at them, sighed and hugged him back, smiling. I might've glared at Marigold when he smiled bashfully at my brother's back.  
Inside, while we rested from the fight, me and Ulial faced each other ready for the big talk.  
"Am I forgiven?" Ulial asked, gripping my hand.  
"No, not forgiven nor forgotten," I said. "But you're family and we all deserve chances and make mistakes."  
I knew my parents feared me in their last trek, it hurt deep but I couldn't fault them.  
"I must leave." I looked away from his sad eyes, looking at Marigold. "You've found your place here, but this is not mine. I must go to Erin."  
"You were meant to be here," Alrun protested.  
"No. I will have my revenge on Aniuma."  
"Such blasphemy!" Alrun nears me, body taut.  
"What I do or don't do outside of this place is none of your business, inhuman," I snarl and near Marigold, gripping his too sharp face. It's his eyes, soft and warm, which give him beauty. "And if you hurt my brother, even if I die, I'll come back to make you pay. I give you my blood-oath."  
I bundled into thick, winter jacket, pants, gloves, snow boots. My brother slurped his warm soup, his tear-filled eyes pleading. I had to do this, he knew it. Until I faced the bitch in her death throne, I wouldn't rest anywhere, no matter it's beauty. I trekked through the lush, shining forest knowing I'd miss their vivid greens and lemon yellow flowers as soon as I breached the barrier.  
The wind whipped me, snowflakes covered my eyelashes immediately. I pulled the woolen blanket from my bag and felt a presence.  
"Come out," I snapped.  
Andreal glided through the deadwood, sardonic smile in place.  
"What are you doing here?" I said, raising an eyebrow while wrapping the blanket on my head.  
He shrugged. "Someone needs to tell your brother your death day and how it went."  
I tied the ends of the blanket behind my neck, covering my face in the process. "Suit yourself, I hope you aren't scared of the big, bad things in Erin."  
He scoffed, walking beside me. "Please, grimwalkers are as soft to cut as peaches. If Father hadn't intervened, I'd have cut it in half."  
I snorted, remembering exactly how soft they were and how much he'd damaged. "Not scared of your goddess?"  
"I don't know why you're going on this chase, you were supposed to come her-"  
"No, we weren't," I growled, bundling against the wind. "We got thrown off course, we were supposed to be dead and I want to know why, and then I'll kill the motherfucker. Simple as that."  
I noticed he didn't reply, which meant yes, he was afraid and yet he still came. Whatever had happened, my magic was stronger and guided my path in the right direction. Andreal hunted with his ebony bow, he never made sound and his arrows always hit the target. Witchcraft, magic, spell or simply skill, it helped. I'd brought my bag full of water and dry rations, some fruits I'd collected on their spring forest, readied to not eat meat until Erin. Andreal caught veal and rabbits, sometimes owls and crows. Not the best of foods, they were stringy and too thin, but satiated the lust for meat.  
Sleeping underneath black-wood stumps was comforting, the stars shone bright in the milky way and lulled me to sleep each night no matter how cold it got. I envied Andreal's inhuman skills, he didn't get as cold, as famished, as wet and tired and cranky, snapping at the rocks and logs underfoot. To him, it was easy and a big joke. He had no bone to pick nor reason to go, but I appreciated his presence. Knowing he was there reminded me of my brother and that memory gave me strength. I was no longer a child and this was my journey, my rightful undertaking.  
It took a week to travel back to my parents grave. They were ice statues, and while it made me sad to see them like that, I did not cry. I bid them farewell and a see you soon, just in case. In case I died.  
Another week passed by as we climbed down the mountain, leaving the safety of its high walls and deep, dark woods, trading it for earth paths and a city full of lights.  
Erin was beautiful and full of laughter, dressed in golds and peach orange, stall owners shouting during the night to come closer. The peaches were creamy and soft, tasting of witchcraft and spells. Few weeks ago I wouldn't have been able to discern the taste of magic, it was too subtle for a person's tongue. At least, a normal person, which I was no longer. If I had to say what magic tasted like, I'd say it is the taste of rain on sweet grass. A bit spicy, wet and sweet. I loved the peach just for the taste of the magic rolling n my tongue. Andreal sneered, giving me his once-bitten peach.  
"Their magic is weak and old, just like their owners. I bet you five coins it's the haggard, frail lady on the doorsteps," he said, thumbing at a barefoot woman in tatters.  
"I'm not going to bet, you've had millennium to refine your powers. If you say it is her, then I trust it is."  
He frowned. "Millennium? I am definitely not that old!"  
I laughed, munching on the peach. "Why? Afraid the wrinkles show?"  
"I do not age," he said, bursting into laughter. "Our father had us late, my mother was always fighting with the others and the only reason we happened was because she needed daughters to transfer her power to."  
"Wait," I said, frowning. "Your father?"  
"Yes?" He said, cocking an eyebrow. "Father gave us girl names because of that, not that it magically made us into girls, but we are strong."  
"Wait a minute, back up. Your father got pregnant and..." I stared at his complacent smile.  
"Yes, our mother died fighting over territory. The spider's den is strong and their garments powerful, except the Queen didn't want to be owned and the other tribes didn't want us to be hogging them. It was a bit of a mess."  
I stared in shock. "You really are inhumans."  
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he snapped, glaring.  
"You don't even see how bizarre it is that your father, hello, had you and your brother."  
He waved me off. "You wouldn't understand the intricate, political reasons. Females are the strongest, the fighters, the heavy lifters. If they got pregnant, any schmuck would come and destroy the families. Does any of that make sense to you?"  
I nodded, and gasped. "Wait, are you telling me you'll get pregnant? Oh my god, that I'll have to see!"  
He laughed, patting my head. "For that, you'd have to survive a confrontation with Aniuma and live forever. Me and Marigold aren't mature enough to wield that type of magic."  
"Holy fuck," I said, paling. "Are you telling me Marigold can get pregnant of my brother? Because, eww! Don't put such ideas inside my brain. I need bleach, goddess."  
"Jumping to conclusions. Like I said, he can't."  
"Yet," I said.  
"Yet," he confirmed.

I tried a couple times to ask how exactly the spell worked for them to get pregnant, in the end I decided that ignorance was blissful. I didn't need enlightenment of that kind, even if I was horrified and intrigued in equal measures.  
A temple had been built to worship the two goddesses, Aniuma and Niumé, inside. Their thrones sat side by side, the statues bursting from the same stone between the thrones, hands clutched together. I breathed deeply the incense mixed with the wild grass, fruits laid at their feet, perfuming the air with sweet life and decay.  
"Aniuma, answer to my call on the place you sleep, on the throne you wield. I have questions for you and your kind, and you will pay for it," I said furious.  
Andreal cleaned his nails while smirking. He thought my call was mundane, but it was not so. The power inside me was roaring, claiming and invoking her. Aniuma would have no other choice. She was coming and she'd be met with fire and fury.  
Light came into, the smell of sweetgrass engulfing the air around us, and from it she came. Long rivers of ink framed her snow white face, rosy lips and eyes regarding me. She sat upon her throne, beckoning me. She didn't know today she died, but soon she would.  
"Answer my questions with truth and I shall spare your life," I said, hearing the choked sound of Andreal. "Lie or deceive me and I will claim and take your life, by all the powers under this earth. You were once a mortal, do not think you can not be unmade."  
Aniuma laughed, crossing her ankles. "I am not afraid, nor do I forget. Forgetfulness is for humans, not for the ultimate powers. Ask and you shall receive."  
I breathed, approaching her. I did not bow nor go on my knee. I stood taller than her, glaring. "You made us lose our trail, led us to our death. Don't tell me it isn't so! I know it, you're the goddess of death, of the mountains and all death domains. Why? Why are we both with powers, our village destroyed? What have we ever done to your kind?"  
Her face did not change as I shouted, she kept the smile intact. "Because it had to be so. Because you didn't do my command neither your brother Niumé's. Isn't that right, bearer of death and destruction?"  
"What?" Andreal shouted, walking closer. He took a breath and froze in place.  
"Do not forget your place, child of Niumé. You will not cross me like the girl does, understand?" Power flowed from her, all around us. "You paid your pound in your parents and your two younger brothers, but you can not run. Thank Niumé for pitying you, she still thinks you'll do your job."  
Tears sprung into my eyes, I blinked them away. "My mother was with child..." I said, broken. "Why our village? Why would you give me that task? Why?! Answer me!"  
"You have to kill the old to get the new. You know the stories, have not mere mortals been killed to ensure the lives of the other thousand others? Why would your village be above?"  
"Because we've lived for centuries on the mountain, because you branded me like sheep and to become a murderer. Did you expect me to destroy everything? Why would I?"  
She laughed. "Because they were not welcome to my mountain any longer. Because you are my hands and feet. I owe you, little one, and your purpose on Arland is to bid my whims. Do you not see? Child, open your rotten eyes and think."  
I backed away, my powers not obeying me. "You want to remind me of my dead parents? Of Onor who did not live long enough? Of a warm house and a warm family."  
She waved it away. "Those powers are born from me, and don't delude yourself, Slayja. There is many babes who do not see the sunrise, many fetus who do not take. Billions of sperm dying, all trying to be the one. Think of the fields not birthing food like it once had. Do not shut your eyes. There's a reason your brother told you Niumé's tale, it is the price of life."  
"But," Andreal started, gripping his sword. "Does that excuse their deaths? Why not do it yoursel- Hng!"  
Andreal trashed in the ground, his hand steaming, mutating into a claw as he screamed.  
"You deserved your punishment, and do not cross me son of Niumé, my patience is not infinite." She waved it away and Andreal stopped screaming, but his hand stayed deformed, purple and swollen, bent inhumanly. "The funnel of life changes with the seasons. What was once okay is no longer. Do my bidding, Slayja, or you'll discover your new family is not as impervious as you think. I am above all of you, my child, and you know your role."  
She disappeared, leaving me shattered, crying. I hugged Andreal, cold and fearful. I couldn't stop the shivers at the sound of her voice.  
"I tried, I swear I tried to kill her, to attack her. I couldn't, I'm sorry, please," I said, crying harder. I could barely breathe, rattled by sobs.  
Andreal opened his eyes, grimacing. "I know, I tried too."  
"Why? This wasn't your fight! You weren't supposed to get involved. You're mean and couldn't care less, so why?"  
He coughed. "Because your brother would get sad, Marigold would too. Now help me get up."  
I gripped his right arm, he screamed, thrashing, tears down his face. I changed sides, and hauled him up, making him sit. Would Niumé give me a better answer? They seemed to be agreeing on my role, but I didn't. It was true, that day among the cabbages my power did not want to heal, bring life to the vegetables. But it was my decision, I didn't want to destroy and be impotent, so I bent it to my will and healed it. I was to destroy, my brother to heal and save. I just wanted normalcy. I wanted to be normal, dancing by the fire light with my old sweetheart.


	10. Marigold

Ulial badgered us to let him walk around, go into the woods, walking around the vegetables. Soon enough, he didn't stay in bed all day. Our grove accepted and healed him, in exchange, everywhere he went the greenery got denser, animals abounded and the streams talked softly. I didn't like it, even father didn't produce such a radical impact on the vegetation, but I kept worrying about Andreal and by extension, Slayja. Ulial seemed to withdraw into the plant's, eyes faraway with a bemused smile. Father sat beside me, cleaning our bows side-by-side, nerves squeezing me. They'd been gone for two weeks, and I missed my brother like only someone with a twin can. We'd been together for so long, protecting each other, that obeying my father's orders was painful. I just hoped nothing bad happened, we were hiding from the other tribes and without Andreal as back up, if we got find it'd be bloody and result in our deaths.  
I sighed, finishing the resin coat in the bow and looked up. This peace was stolen amidst war, I just hoped we wouldn't be drawn back in again. Father had paid a heavy price, I didn't want the same to happen. I didn't want to involve Ulial and Slayja, this was not their fault or fight. I didn't agree with using them, even if that meant they should leave and go to Erin or mainland Arland. They were too young to experience death and carnage, they'd already been subjected to pain. I didn't fight my father, but I hoped to let them leave in the middle of the night when Slayja returned. I was sure she wanted to leave as quick as possible, she didn't like me and I understood why, so it'd make things easy. Ulial would follow her lead, and it would break my heart a tiny bit but this was more important than mere feelings.  
At night, I heard a loud bang, the stench of smoke wafting in.  
"Get up, quick!" Father demanded.  
In his hands were sacks with food and clothes, some which I gripped. We ran outside, recovering our bows from their place. All around us, fire grew toxic and deadly, the heat dampening my shirt. I heard their call and I had to fight to not scream or cry. They were coming, no - they were already here, and we'd be dead by morning.


	11. Slayja

We stayed a couple days in Erin, licking our wounds. Andreal's arm did not heal, it stayed that sickly purple color, the meat disfigured and scarred. He wouldn't grip a sword ever again with it, the problem was the fever, the nightmares, the pain that he couldn't bear. Clothes made his arm swell, odor strong and putrid as I stripped it from bandages to clean it.  
"Please....please...." he begged in a distant voice.  
My power did not work nor manifest to help him, I was powerless and grew tired. He wasn't improving, I suspected only his father would know what to do. I had no clue, and any salves I made were useless. Thankfully, it was not gangrene, it wasn't rotting, it wasn't worsening. But it wasn't improving and healing either.  
I carried his sword and things, hooking on his waist and set out on our trip back home. Home. It felt good thinking of it, the woodsy scent that was sweet and welcoming. I was tired of Erin, it was a vibrant town but it smelled of unwashed bodies, of piss sometimes, it was expensive to rest or eat or exist. Mainland would be worse, I was told by one of the workers I approached to see if they could heal Andreal. No dice there, they couldn't do much. I wasn't about to let them cut his arm, Alrun would kill me for putting his son in danger and doing things without his consent. I hoped he would understand I had no power and couldn't have prevented Aniuma from doing it.  
I sighed and strode on.  
It was hard, what originally took me two weeks turned into three weeks, where we only advanced because I swore and shouted and screamed and begged, cajoling him to go on a little bit more. By the time I saw my parents bodies, I had too many feelings inside me to feel further. I greeted them with swearing toward Andreal's lack of strength, trudging on.  
I sighed in relief as soon as we reached those woods, I could feel it's protective spells, the barrier that surrounded it. Andreal stopped beside me, growing paler and paler, exhaling and inhaling on the verge of a panic attack.  
"Okay, breathe, your father won't say anything, your brother will love you and everything will be fine, I fucking promise, please, we're so close, don't stop now," I said, fighting tiredness and tears and exhaustion.  
"No, you d-don't understand." He shook his head, eyes wide. "They're gone, s-something happened, we-we're too late."  
I frowned. "What are you talking about? Look, let's just go."  
He didn't fight me as I grabbed him and hauled him inside the barrier. I wish he had, I really do. My mouth opened, closed, opened as I saw that the peaceful, beautiful grove was burnt to ashes. There was no trace of that visage. Trees were charred stumps, the cottage was no more than tiny debris, grass was a river of cold ash. Whatever had happened, it'd been long ago. The debris couldn't be colder and more enraging than they were.  
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck, fuck!" I shouted, kicking at the ashes. "What happened? I don't get it, I-I..."  
I turned away from the place before I became a wreck and bawled all over Andreal. He didn't need my help with that, whatever had happened, I was going to make the fuckers pay. My power hummed, agreeing. I was going to show them destruction and pain and blood, until the last one of them.  
"Cut it," Andreal said while I was moping on the ground.  
I frowned, looking at his sweaty face. "Cut what?"  
He exhaled, hissing. "Cut my fucking arm and then I'll be able to focus to follow their trail."  
I jumped, nearing him. "Are you mad? You'll bleed all over, I don't have spells or any medicine to numb it an-"  
"I don't give a fuck! Cut my goddamn arm now, or I'll do it myself."  
He gripped the sword, unsheathing it from the leather holder. That sharp, glinting weapon neared his shoulder, poised. I stopped him, wrenching it from his hand.  
"Okay, I'll do it. If you're serious, I'll do it." I looked into his resolute eyes and heated the sword, turning it into red-orange. "Hopefully, with the sword this hot, it'll burn and close your wound. Hopefully."  
I stripped his arm from bandages, ripping his shirt at his shoulder, and centered myself. I steadied the sword, watching Andreal grip his leg, teeth gritted. I exhaled and swung. Thwack, cold and sharp hit that meaty, spongy intersection, gaping open, blood flowing into his shirt, staining it and the air. I pressed the sword against it, sizzles and crackles ringing out, burnt pig staining my nose. My eyes turned misty as I thwacked it again, the noise of ripping moist flesh filling my sinus cavity. I gulped air, biting my lip to not say anything, to not cry. With a last thwack, his arm dropped away with spurts of red rivers. I stumbled closer, closing his wound as I watched his eyes blank. He keeled over, thankfully he'd already been on the ground.  
I buried my head on his chest as I cried, I could feel the reverb in my hands each time I swung, how the sword stuck, the at it felt like cutting up a pig. I was so exhausted that I didn't fight as my powers hummed, bringing me away from my body, the connection between me and body stretching and thinning. I was in front of my old village, the people so thin they were gangly cypresses. Lighting rumbled on the clouds, where nobody could see nor hear it. It came to my hands, empowering me, filling me. In that moment, I turned into a goddess, soaring through the skies. I unleashed the bolts into the earth, into the fields, light turning to fire as it burned, as it consumed and cleansed this place from humans. Their shrieks and screams were the rustle of leaves in the spring, the houses caught fire, circling everyone inside. I was in their midst, but they could not see me. I rose higher, propelled by the lighting and everywhere fire caught, burned higher as it should.  
When I opened my eyes, I saw faraway thick smoke flow into the air as shame and guilt filled me. I didn't want this, it'd never been who I was, and I let it go to my head.  
"Well done, child of Aniuma."  
I looked up, shock causing me to raise. Lemon yellow hair, soft and cascading down rich, brown skin. I gulped, knowing who was in front of me. "Tell me they're alive," I begged, hoarse. "You must know."  
She smiled, filling me with warmth, the tips of my fingers reviving. "If I told you they were alive today, tomorrow they could be dead. Would you stop? Would you not go after them?"  
I neared her, fingertips brushing her alive and warm arm. "Please. No, I wouldn't, but tell me. Haven't I done what you both wanted? Don't I deserve a reward?"  
She hugged me, earth and river unfolding me, connecting me to the land I walked, the sky I saw. Niumé kissed my cheek, warmth and relief making me cry. It was like being enveloped by home, by good.  
"I don't want to kill, I don't want this role. Why would you need chess pieces? Why us? Why did they have to disappear, burn everything? I'll do anything, everything, assure me. Tell me, tell me they live. Whatever you need, I'll become it, I'll do it. He's my brother, they're his family. P-please."  
"Andreal will be fine, you did good by heating the sword. I hoped your brother would become sweet on him, sweeten him up. Alas, he is one of my child's that is fickle, though I suspect Marigold getting sweet on him is also a nice development, don't you think so?" She grabbed the fallen arm, engulfing it in leaves.  
"What are you doing?"  
"This is your brother's and this family's payment for not doing as told, I think it is a low cost, do you not?" She sighed, ghosting a kiss on my lips. I opened up to her, I could barely remember feeling another's warmth. Her kiss was wet and warm, gentle and cuddling. A comfort. When she pulled away, I stared at her shiny lips, wanting to devour them.  
"Kiss me again," I pleaded.  
She arched an eyebrow, coming closer. "Why? Are you incapable?"  
I captured her face, trapping her lips with mine, tugging and sucking on her. I could taste honey and magic to my core, my senses blowing wide open. I connected again to the earth, this time to the dead trees. They weren't dead, long years from now they would return, just as beautiful and eternal. She pulled away, cutting me from those other senses, from life. I inhaled her earthy smell, grinning.  
"They're alive. I don't care of this happened because you were punishing them, I'll rescue them. I won't do what any of you want until they're safe and sound."  
Her laughter was the sound of rivers pooling. "You mistake us. This is a war that we need our soldiers involved, but it is not our punishment. You're the scale of justice, Slayja. Justice knows no pity or balance, there is no reasoning with justice. That is your role for eternity. Farewell, sweetling."  
She left taking with her warmth and peace, leaving me to deal with my actions.  
Taking Andreal's bow, I walked outside of the barrier stalking the grounds. I opened my senses to the environment, reaching out to rustles and crunches. It left me cold and drained, but I caught a rabbit with the first arrow I show right through the eye. I might be cheated and used magic to help.  
Andreal came to while the meat spew fire on the stick, broth steaming below it drinking in the dripping fat. The fever had gone down, and while he looked bleary, he was ravenous and lucid. We ate with abandon, neither speaking of what we might've lost. I thought it should've made it easier, it only became harder. Losing all my connections to my humanity? To my sanity and compass? I was adrift in the ocean of remorse and guilt. If I'd been there, they'd be alive, they'd be here. Even if I found them, would they recognizable? Would they be broken and battered to the point they've lost the spark of life? Revenge and death and killing wouldn't right it, it would make me feel better temporarily and then dissolve like foam.  
I sighed, bundling next to him. I hoped the perpetrators came at night, they would meet their destiny at my hands.

They did not. Morning came while I restlessly slept, while the sunrise was clean and beautiful, our surroundings warm from the barrier and the frozen sessions, no comfort came. I jarred Andreal awake, cleaning his wound with the streams clean water and bandaged him back.  
He nodded at nothing, addressing me calmly, "I've been stitching together a compass, I can feel their life force at the tips of my fingers. We need to go north."  
I rose from where I was crouched, shoving things inside our bags. "But that leads deeper into the mountain...Does this mean they're alive?"  
"I..." Andreal stopped, fingers combing his sweat plastered hair. "I think so, at least I feel Marigold. We're twins, closer together than any relationship we might've ever have. If he died, if he starts suffering, I will feel it." He laughed, tears washing his cheeks. "I couldn't focus because of my arm, but he's now a soothing energy in the back of my head."  
Oh, I was happy for him, I was. But that didn't answer my concerns and as selfish as that made me, he hadn't lost like I had. Grief couldn't be measured from one being to another, but I'd lost more, felt it harder and deeper with each death. It wasn't fair to him, but it put me in a foul mood. He had assurances, I did not.  
North. Deep into the mountain, poetic justice or perhaps it was karma coming back to slice me open. I'd threatened it, now it laughed at my impotence. But it would not have the last laugh, I'd level its sky breaking mounds to have my revenge.  
Snow piled as the days passed us by, snowstorm increasing, temperatures dropping. Even heavily bundled, my eyebrows froze with icicles dripping from them, the snow's bite digging deeper into me. My power hummed, constantly active yet that only meant I didn't get frostbite. Andreal also seemed to struggle with the cold, his teeth chattering, icicles dripping from his hair. The days passed and I kept a hand on him, making sure he wouldn't perish. Only he had the compass, his arrow pointing to Marigold. Was that the same place as my brother? I couldn't tell, yet it would help us. Marigold seemed to possess powers more attuned to nature, and I hoped that meant tracking and finding, healing and curing anything that came. It wasn't realistic but it gave me hope. Hope that no matter what happened, we'd live. Scarred and battered and bruised, but not dead.  
We reached the entrance of the mountain. Soon, sweat covered us as we went further away from the entrance and I stopped using my power. Total darkness enveloped us, Andreal conjured a weak light in his left hand as we got warmer and warmer, undressing from our heavy bundles. My blouse clung to me, the icicles melting down my face and back, their coldness fighting with the rising heat.  
We reached light, the sun dizzying me with its summer glare. Farther away there was a village, brown wood with red tiled roofs in little rows, kids and families walking around. Andreal shivered beside me, his fever rising in the tropical weather. We walked around, following the heavy trees to conceal us from their sights.  
As we left the orderly, well-maintained houses behind us, little shacks of wood appeared between big stretches of empty grass. Now that I could see them, I noticed their pointy ears, their green-blue skin, their sharp piranha teeth; I saw one of the black and red spiders, four arms on each side full of silk and bundles. The farthest from the village was a run down shack made out of rotten wood with ligaments of metal from whence came out a woman with a patterned tail, fluffy, big ears and pointy teeth. She sniffed the air, cat eyes sharp.  
Andreal's hand shone brighter, they were close and this was the place. I'd kill the feline woman if I had to. I unsheathed his sword, readying it with fire, stepping closer to the bushes. A voice rang through the prairie, coming out of the shack. One of his green seashells ears was gnawed, blood in his sharp nails. I trembled, sweat plastering my hair to my forehead. Was it my brother's blood? Marigold's? Alrun's? Anger and rage rose in me. I'd kill them all.  
"They're here," Andreal whispered, his voice rough and faint.  
The feline woman's ears twitched, her head swiveling in their direction, tail swishing. The fish guy's gills at his throat opened and closed, his thin, sharp face looking in our direction too.  
A spider woman came out next from the shack, her breasts engorged with milk, slickness in her thighs.  
“Are you done?” the feline said in a growly voice.  
The spider smirked, stroking her belly. “Oh, Iam alrigh'.”  
Andreal's nose flared, glaring in at her direction. “I smell your brother in her...”  
“What you mean?” I demanded, my body trembling.  
His chocolate eyes fixed on mine. “You know exactly what I mean.”  
Tears sprung to my eyes, choking down on bile. The bastard had actually raped my brother? My vision went hazy with blood-boiling anger.  
“He wasn't the only one,” Andreal said, voice tight.  
I blinked back my outrage, stifling my shivering arms. If I wasn't careful, I'd end up nicking Andreal. I blew out a breath and stepped outside the bushes, the sun hitting me with a glare. My laughter rang through the empty grove, alerting them to our position, but I couldn't care less. It wasn't a joyous laugh, I took all the bitterness and let it fly.  
“Oh, you are not finished here, darling,” I said, smiling sweetly at them.  
Releasing a breath, I commanded the power inside me to bubble forth, until I shone hard and obfuscated their vision. They scattered away, readying themselves for me, except they didn't know just how much I was holding back.  
They were about to.  
The feline woman eye's locked with mine, then she looked at the other two, and pounced away. I would get her later, she was with them.  
My upper lip curled, baring my teeth as I launched at them. They swerved, the spider woman's arm shooting out to grapple me. I dodged, hacking one in half, delighting in her high-pitched screams. In her sobs, as she cradled it to her chest. The fish guy grabbed me from behind. Before I could augment my own temperature, something dislodged him. I looked over my shoulder at Andreal's pale, sweaty face. I thumbed up with a grin, and prepared to hack them to pieces.  
I was going to stab her through the abdomen when she shot silk, weaving all around me a cocoon. Andreal's sword did not cut them, nor did my fire tricks. I frowned, getting thrown to the ground by the fish guy. Inhaling his ocean scent and the silks dew, I prepared to summon lighting.  
A sock to my temple made everything dim in color, blur into gray shadows. I fought against the weight on my eyes and the throbbing in my head, passing out.


	12. Marigold

Light swamped us, the door creaking open. I closed my eyes, steeling myself for the rutting fire that overcame my senses, my whole being, into just wanting to be fucked by Rwan. Heavy breathing filled the place, I gritted my teeth to not beg.  
“Ulial,” Slayja choked out.  
I gasped, opening my eyes and seeing Andreal. The first thing I noticed was his paleness. The second, the sword in Slayja's hand – he would never have parted from it. The third, his right arm missing. I cried for him. I knew just how strongly he felt about his lack of aggressive magic. How much it cost him.  
He staggered forward, hugging my bloody, stinky body. He stank of fever and disease and dirty, but earth too.  
“What happened?” Andreal croaked out, unlocking one of the shackles.  
“We got taken,” I said, trying to smile.  
Andreal shook his head, breaking the shackle. “I meant, why are…why…they… what they did.”  
He broke the other shackle, catching me with a grunt. Enveloped in his arms, I felt stronger. The earth's pull was strong. I needed the sunlight, the damp grass beneath my bare feet as I strolled.  
I inhaled, releasing a sigh. “Since we left, birth rates have dropped and since we're Niumé's...”  
Slayja released Ulial.  
I couldn't meet his eyes, neither could he mine. My father was fainted to the side, his wrists cut to the bone. He needed rest and healing, decent food and sunlight. We all did.  
They carried us outside, where Kari stood fidgeting. She smiled at Slayja and came forth, holding Alrun up on my other side.  
“She kinda saved me, so...for now she comes with us,” Slayja bit out, steadying Ulial.  
They carried us to the forest, I did my best to not limp and get dragged, but my legs felt weak. I didn't hate Kari, she hadn't done anything against us. She'd tried to help, and even faked coupling with my father, bringing food and water when she could squirrel away.  
“I just don't think this is the right way, but I can't do anything,” she'd said, feeding us water and wiping us. She'd been caught a couple times, she always came at night. Rwan and Learna believed her tale of mating with my father at night.  
Thinking of Rwan filled me with shame and anger. I hoped he wasn't dead, because I wanted to crush his balls with my bare hands. I knew Ulial felt the same for Learna, though he did not seem angry or full of revenge. He was ashamed of his weakness. We both were.  
Ulial had been silent through it all, while Rwan's mating drug had made me beg and plead for his cock until I was broken and sobbing. I knew I could never look Ulial in the eyes without seeing it there. The knowledge of what had transpired in that place.  
“Should we burn the whole village?” Slayja inquired, after we'd been silent until the entrance of the mountain.  
“Yes,” I said.  
They all looked back, shock in their faces. Andreal gripped me hard, hissing underneath his breath.  
“No,” Kari said, her canines worrying her bottom teeth. “Please, believe me. I am proof that not all of us are of the same agreement. Please, don't right a wrong with another wrong. They're innocents!”  
“And we aren't? We weren't?” I said, vibrating with anger. “Does that excuse them? They're on-board with the idea, they agreed!”  
I panted, trying to release from Andreal's grip.  
Slayja's dark eyes burrowed into mine, flickering to Andreal's and to Ulial's.  
“I think...” she started, looking at the villages. She stopped, looking down. “We shouldn't. Not yet. Okay? Not yet.”  
She looked at the floor, flicking back to Andreal, and down again.  
“We saved your brother and you and this is how you repay us? You..” I said, wheezing. I stopped to cough and crumpled against Andreal. Speaking was hard and tiring. I tried to muster more indignation, but fell silent.  
We left down the mountain, cold creeping in, twisting from the inside. Kari was heavily furred and used it to cover my father from the cold. Her arms and legs and chest were furry and warm. She tried to share warmth with Slayja, who denied her. Slayja shared her heat with us.  
I never felt happier to see our home, even if it was ashes in the ground. It was home, smelled like home (if I ignored the burnt smell), looked like home. Everything was familiar, even if slightly changed.  
We camped through the night, the only sound in the air coming from the crackling fire. Eating and drinking water soothed me, but things were tense.  
By dawn, Father awoke enough to hoarsely thank Slayja for her help. He collapsed again. Andreal didn't take it well, but I made him tell me about his arm. Disbelief shot through me as I heard his tale. He'd acted like a lunatic. I sighed, hugging him, kissing his damp forehead. Respect for what Slayja did grew in me, I thanked her through a scratchy throat.  
Ulial hugged Andreal stiffly, thanking him for protecting his sister (though that hadn't been what happened). His shadowed eyes met mine. We both looked away. He'd never forget my begging and grovelling, I'd never forget his sobs during the night. Whatever drug Learna used on him made him hard and compliant – Learna's insides made him raw and drip blood.  
I grabbed his sleeve, steering us farther away with what strength we both had.  
“I want you to know that it's okay. You couldn't do anything. Nor I,” I said, kicking at a loose rock.  
“I...” he coughed, slumping against a tree. “Whenever I look at you and your father, everything comes rushing forward. I'm sorry.”  
I nodded. I tried to move in for a hug, but we both stiffened and moved away. “I know, the same happens to me. It's okay. We'll make them pay and then...then we'll move on and get new partners.”  
I couldn't bare to think of having sex with him. There's a difference between knowing and having been there, hearing it all. It'd mixed too many feelings, to the point I saw him as a brother. I just wanted to climb between my father and Andreal and feel protected, make the memories and nightmares disappear.  
Andreal used his earth powers to build beds of softwood. Our father needed a dry, dirt-free place because of his wounds.  
Weeks went by. Andreal collapsed trying to restore the house, Ulial and Slayja nursed him as I nursed Father with the help of Kari. She was energetic and optimistic about their recovery, she was also the one hunting and cooking. After each day of healing, I collapsed in the bed and wanted only to rest. Kari forced me to eat and drink, threatening to give me a bath while I passed out if I didn't. While she was all right, there was still tension between us.  
I didn't trust her. She spent too much time alone hunting and gathering herbs, and while I knew that was needed and what it entailed, I distrusted her.  
I knew Morkov's children were cunning under the guise of being laid-back and noisy. Trusting Kari blindly would get us captured and killed this time, I wouldn't allow that to happen to me ever again. Not to me and not to anyone else.  
We were in high-alert, a blade of grass couldn't rustle without us stiffening and reaching for our powers and weapons. The noise the breeze made on the trees canopies made us jump up every time.  
We started relaxing, feeling surer of us and our surroundings. While I could see Slayja becoming more easy going, sharing kisses with Kari and laughing, I couldn't. My dreams were plagued with Rwan, with Andreal's arm twisting this way and that and me unable to do anything. I wasn't. With my father dying, leaving us to fend for ourselves when we most needed him. The merest rustle woke me, thankfully dragging me from those nightmares.  
Healing my father's wounds at a higher rate was draining for me and him, and the constant nightmares, the fear, I was heading for a collapse. But I couldn't stop. Not when I had to make sure Father survived. If he died because I hadn't given a hundred percent, I'd never forgive myself. I was already plagued with mortification, with shame and guilt and anger, and nightmares too, I didn't need more.  
“You need to eat,” Andreal said. He was better. His face a healthy golden-brown, hair recently washed. “You've grown so thin, please Mari, eat something. You're scaring us all.”  
I gritted my teeth, focusing all my power in the water's molecules as they sealed, bound and seared close bone and nerves and flesh. Our father would never have the same dexterity and he'd get aches and pains, I couldn't fix that. This was the most I could do, it frustrated me.  
“Please,” Andreal kept badgering.  
“Go away! I can't do it, I can't do this if you all keep wrecking my concentration. Leave me alone!” I growled out, gripping Father's arms tighter.  
“You'll collapse, that's what. Is this what you want, Mari? Because it sure as fuck isn't what our father would want. Or Mother.” Andreal nudged me away. I tripped, falling ass-down, and glowering at him. “You'll eat and sleep. Stop obsessing. Father is fine, it's you who isn't!”  
“What would you know? You're not a healer, Andrea. You're nothing at all, you couldn't even fucking rebuild our house, our lives!” I panted out.  
I regretted it immediately, seeing newly-gained life drain from his face, his lips quivering into an ugly sneer.  
“Suit yourself. Die for all I care!” he snarled, stamping away.  
Later that night, I fell to bed and conked out into a black dream without nightmares. Just peace.


	13. Slayja

I sighed. “Your brother went through a lot. So did mine and--”  
“Don't, okay? I know exactly what he went through,” he snapped, swinging the sword with his left arm. It was clumsy. “He's trying to get himself killed, don't you get it? He's...he's such a fucking idiot.” He looked away, blinking tears, panting as he rested on top of the sword's handle. “He won't talk, he won't eat. Father isn't well and he's killing himself. I'll be all alone because he's pigheaded. I can't.” He shook his head, staring at the stars, the sweat running down his flushed face.  
I sighed again. “We'll do something, grapple him into the bed. Force-feed him. We've just rescued them, we can't let them hurt themselves. I know you think I hate Marigold but I don't...” I looked away, chucking rocks at the trees. “I just...really have problems with his intentions. He barely speaks. I don't know what is his intentions are towards my brother.” I huffed, shrugging.  
“Look...his intentions don't exist,” Andreal muttered. “Not anymore. I saw them together the other day...it was like they were strangers. They couldn't look each other in the eyes.”  
I sat cross-legged in the grass, letting my fingertips fondle them. “I don't know what to do to fix this. It's irritating me, my temper is starting to flare and...” I shrugged again, watching him swing yet again. “I think you're putting unnecessary strain on it too soon. You'll do fine, you don't have to worry. It'll just take time and patience.”  
Andreal laughed, making birds fly away. “Yes, because you're the master of patience, aren't you? I don't have the luxury of time, not anymore.”  
I opened my open to throw back a barb but Kari entered the field at a run, stopping right in front of us. Her furry ears twitched beside her face, tail swishing back and forth.  
She inhaled, letting it out in a hiss, “Marigold has collapsed.”  
I jumped up.  
Andreal reached first than me, his hands flailing panicky over Marigold's body; touching his face and shoulder, stroking his long midnight hair. Ulial's face was pinched, body rigid as he hugged me, gripping me until I could barely breathe.  
“It's fine, he'll be fine,” I cooed, rubbing his back. “Everyone's gonna be fine.”  
“I wouldn't make such promises,” Andreal bit out, turning on his heel. “Stop saying empty shit and do something!”  
I rolled my eyes, gripping Ulial harder. “What is it that you want me to do? I don't have healing powers. I'm useless, Andreal. Fucking useless.”  
He grumbled something, gripped Marigold's hand and collapsed next to him. We all gasped, Kari included with her butterscotch eyes that widened farther than a human's could.  
“Is he dead?” Kari asked fearfully. She tittered near his body, but seemed impossible to touch him.  
I walked nearer, Ulial's white knuckles digging into my shoulders. He was near hyperventilation. “He's alive, I see him breathing.” I collapsed into Ulial, both of us holding each other. “What did he do?”  
Kari shook her golden threads. “I have no clue. It must be Niumé's exclusive.” I frowned, bucking with Ulial's weight. Kari grabbed his other side. “Is he okay? He's shaking really bad and...”  
“He's fine,” I gritted out, carrying him into a bed with her help. I huffed a breath. “Kari, if we get attacked I don't think we'll survive it.”  
“Don't say that!” she growled, hugging me. She smelled like herself and like morning dew. I'd seen her rub against the grass when the sun was high. “I'll protect you. You're my lover, I wouldn't be a good mate if I couldn't even do that.”  
“Kari, look at this place.” I pointed at the bed where Alrun lay, where Ulial slept, where Marigold and Andreal collapsed. “It's just us two and I can't trust you yet.”  
She whined, “Oh, you can't say that. We've mated already.”  
I kissed her pout, smoothing back her golden hair. “That and this are very different things, Kari. I'm not going to endanger my brother. I've had sex before you, he betrayed me with my whole village.”  
She huffed, crossing her arms, pout in place. “I am not like your bastard ex. I saved you, helped you. Trust me.”  
“Earn it,” I snapped, turning my back to her and picking Andreal's sword. “Then I'll trust you.”  
I followed her everywhere, I'd become fond of Andreal's bow and catching game was one of the delights for me. Kari's keen sense of smell help us track the animals and herbs. The hardest decision I did was when we needed to rebuild the vegetable garden, yet we lacked seeds of any kind. I could either go down to Erin and bring back not only seeds but also medicine, and that meant leaving Kari with my new-found family vulnerable; or I could stay and let Kari go, letting her run-free.  
I stayed.  
If I had to choose between leaving and getting them all killed without my being there, one of my biggest fears, or stay and deal with the aftermath; I'd deal and make them sorry.  
Kari was elated. She hugged me, petted me, kissed me passionately with a grin that made our teeth bash together.  
“I knew you'd trust me, I knew, I knew!” she said, giggling and dancing around our bonfire.  
I smiled in reply, deep in thought. She was the only one in good spirits. Marigold trashed in his deep-sleep; Andreal moaned and shivered, running high fevers, soaked with sweat; Alrun didn't have strength to move from the bed, only his lips as he hoarsely plead for something; Ulial was in shock, dealing with nightmares – he woke crying, huddled in a corner.  
Kari leaving meant I'd have to take care of all them alone, yes, but also that I wouldn't have anyone to cheer me up.  
After soothing and distributing water, tucking them in and cleaning sweat, I laid in the floor with my back to her.  
She stroked my back, burrowing closer. “What's the matter? I'm leaving tomorrow, you don't want to?”  
I liked the way her voice was smooth and deep when she was aroused, how she petted my shoulders and neck, trying to touch my skin. Either it came from her or all her tribe were like that, but she seemed to crave physical contact.  
Her soft lips kissed my nape, her sharp teeth nibbling on it. Kari licked the sting away, her hands grasping my breasts in soft circles.  
“If you don't want to, tell me and I'll stop,” she assured, rubbing her whole body against mine. She growled in frustration at our clothes.  
I faced her, watching Kari throw her shirt and pants away, showing her smooth, tan skin. Her nipples pebbled in contact with the night's breeze, her smile shy and hopeful as she neared me.  
She kissed me, letting me taste her mouth, feel the raspiness of her tongue. I moaned. She drank it in with a satisfied purr, her hands lowering. I caught them, bringing them back to my waist.  
“No?” she asked, playing with her full bottom lip.  
I shook my head. “Not today.”  
She nodded, kissing my neck, biting my collarbone, her tongue leaving wet-trails on my skin. Kari giggled at my goosebumps, letting me feel all that heat on her skin.  
“What do you want to do?” Kari said, releasing my nipple. I ached for more, but I also wanted to cut ties. Chances were she was going to betray me.  
I sighed and leaned away, climbing from her warm embrace. “That was enough. Sleep now.”  
“What? Why? I thought we were good?” she said, and I knew she was jutting out her lips.  
“We're good. I'm just tired,” I said, stroking the soft fur between her breasts. “Hug me to sleep.”  
She nodded, happy again and did so.  
I said good-bye to Kari in a foul mood, a storm of energy growing inside me. She'd caught on it, puzzled by sudden coldness, but hadn't said nothing. Kari kissed me, nibbling on my lips and left.  
I almost cried.  
She was going to go bring her whole village, betray me and my family. I'd have to kill her and innocents, more than ever. I wouldn't mind killing the spider woman and the fish guy, but a whole town? I still had nightmares with my village's decimation. I could hear the babies crying. I needed to be strong. They needed me to.  
I bandaged Alrun's wounds after cleaning them with water. The good thing about our position was the non-lack of water from the spring. I felt like I'd spent ponds from all the water for cooking, for cleaning them, for boiling their clothes.  
Days came and went fast. Each day I was more tired than the other, my fingers cramping. I still forced myself to search for food, practicing the bow and the sword. Ulial helped me some days, and that made me so grateful I'd tried to kiss his cheek, give him a hug. That had not been smart. He'd closed his eyes and fled for his bed, hiding underneath his blanket.  
Other days, he'd help me and look at Marigold or Alrun's face and react the same.  
As the moon filled and unfilled, he became better. Soothing Andreal's tremors, cleaning his arm socket with all the attentiveness he had. He took care of Alrun, giving him food and water. Ulial never volunteered to change their clothes, and I knew why. Marigold had marks on his legs, on his arms and on his back. Fine, thin white marks that made my blood rise until I could barely breath. I suspected my brother himself had marks, which is why he didn't let me change him when he was weak.  
Luckily, Andreal woke from his comatose state. Blearily, tired, huge circles under his eyes, but he was quick to recover strength and humour. Though he wasn't as acerbic as before. I figured he was too tired and caring for his brother and father to really jab.  
Marigold woke soon after, and he looked brand new. Like someone had dipped him inside the rivers of Niumé and he'd come back changed. He hugged Andreal, wailed in his shoulder and covered him full of snot and tears and drool. After that, he laughed and smiled.  
He was more there. Like someone had flipped a switch inside him. I felt his presence, his energy in the air. I was confused by it, but thankful.  
When I told so to Andreal while we were boiling clothes, he smiled sweetly for the first time ever.  
“He and I share a connection. I held his hand and fought his nightmares, brought him into our safe place. We talked a lot,” he said wistfully, steering his father's clothes. “He's not completely over it, I don't think he ever will. He wants justice, he wants Rwan's death. Or to inflict in him pain.”  
I blinked, “Rwan? Is that the fish guy's name?” He nodded, face flushed with the effort. “You also want his death and pain. So which one is getting the kill?”  
He pursed his thin lips, releasing the spatula. “I'll deal with it. I don't want that son-of-a-bitch anywhere close to him.”  
I nodded, understanding him. Spider woman was going to die by my hands, that I'd pledged and nothing would change my mind.  
“Well, I hope you're ready for it. Kari is probably going to bring them back soon, what with the days she's been gone. They're probably waiting for us to get relaxed and open for an attack, we need to prepare.” I wrenched Alrun's clothes from the pot, throwing the heated water beside us.  
Andreal frowned. “Are you sure? From Marigold's recollections, Kari wasn't on the same plan as Learna and Rwan. Maybe she's for real.”  
I grimaced, shaking my head. “You can't trust that, we have to prepare. I've been betrayed by people I loved, I'm not letting that happen again.”  
During the nights, I made Andreal and Ulial fight each other. Andreal lost a lot, which made his temper flare up. My brother was so blasé, he just smiled and patted Andreal in the head, telling him to try again.  
Whatever was happening, they started getting a rapport together. They horsed around a lot while Marigold continued to seal Alrun's wounds. We needed all the fighters we could get, but he wasn't doing it night and day. He'd even gotten some weight back.  
Andreal's strength grew in his left arm, he started winning against Ulial. Though when I okayed the use of power, Ulial cleared the floor with him. The grumbling he did for days was amusing, it felt like everything was returning back to normal.  
“Someone breached the barrier,” Marigold said, releasing the pot.  
Andreal and Ulial stopped horsing around, releasing each other, and fetched their weapons. Marigold wielded Andreal's bow since his got burned. I had my powers.  
When I reached the barrier's edge, I saw Kari full of bundles. Happiness bubbled through me. I hugged her, taking away some of them. I was about to kiss her when an arrow slashed my cheek.  
I backed away from her. I couldn't believe I'd fell for it. Deep down, I'd hoped she wasn't in cahoots with them. That she was on my side.  
My lips quivered, wanting to shout at her.  
It wouldn't change anything. It hadn't with Arjan, my ex, and it wouldn't with her. I threw the bundles to the ground and fled, returning to their side.  
“They're here and Kari's with them,” I panted, iron-hand on my feelings. “Don't spare any of them. I know who to kill, focus on that and everything's going to be fine.”  
They surrounded us, Rwan holding Kari in his arms, a knife to her throat as he neared me.  
“I'll kill the bitch if you fight,” he threatened.  
I laughed, hearing it ring around. “You can kill her all you want. She's nothing, and soon, you'll be nothing too.”  
Kari started crying, her lips trying to form vowels.  
I punched a fireball, bypassing Rwan and hitting Learna on her ugly maw.  
Soon there were too many bodies to know who was who, I kept them off with my fire walls, making them consumed by them. I saw glimpses of spider woman's around us and ran to them, wrenching them from my brother and Alrun with my bare-hands. They shrieked in contact, my hands boiling their arms and faces into goop.  
Temperature rose, everything went hazy. My panting was too harsh, I dodged arrows and swords, webs and nails. Not all of them, my left arm had a four-nail gash in it from one of the felines. Marigold shot the eye of one of the spiders in front of me, Alrun grappled with vines some of the others. I didn't have strength to put up firewalls anymore. Wind ripped the fish guys, clearing a path so I could retreat to their side.  
“What's...your status?” I breathed out, grabbing my side.  
By their tight jaws and sweaty faces, we were all getting too winded. Ulial was propping Andreal, and covering his back. Alrun was side-by-side with Marigold, immobilizing while Marigold administered the killing blow. I grabbed Marigold, so I could stand.  
“Have you seen that bitch?”  
He nodded, his eyes focusing on mine. “She's dead. I killed her.”  
I gaped, ire surging through me. “She was my kill. Why did you?”  
He fired his bow, fondling an arrow. “Because she was going to flee and because I wanted revenge. I saw it all happen. It makes me feel better.”  
I hissed a breath and closed my eyes, emotions battling inside me. Right then, the most important thing was our survival.  
Looking around, I spotted Rwan fighting Andreal, lunging at his right side. Ulial was busy keeping the hordes from Andreal's back and sides. I grinned. Tit-for-tat.  
I ran, twisting some necks and arms through my path, until I reached Rwan from behind and grabbed onto him like a monkey.  
I bit his neck, tasting the ocean and copper, ripping his windpipe. “I hope you suffer in the Goddess’s bowels.”  
I released him unto the ground, spewing his blood and flesh, as I watched him slowly die from lack of breath and blood sipping the ground. Andreal barked something, probably admonishing me from his righteous kill, when something slammed against me. I fell to the ground, twisting and getting my face full of golden hair and green-cat eyes.  
I rasped through the lump on my throat, “Get off me!”  
I scrambled from her, preparing to burn her too, just like I'd burned my village and Arjan. The reason I didn't was because her back, her arms, her throat, was full of nicks and small scars. I couldn't stop the tears as I saw her full of blood, her tail clipped short, her ears gnawed.  
I crouched, bundling her to me, cradling her. “What happened?”  
She cleared her throat, smiling softly. “They caught me as I was coming back. I'm sorry.”  
I shook her, my powers splashing outside me like water, incinerating the floor around us. “Don't apologize. I didn't believe in you, I'm sorry. I don't deserve you.”  
Andreal fought to protect us while I hauled her up, putting Kari between him and Ulial. I was running low on power, a migraine was heavy on my head as I looked around and saw how many there still was. I couldn't even have invoked baby lightning. We were going to lose.  
I smelled water in the air and opened my eyes. The river, which had always flowed peacefully, rose in the air and came right at us. It slammed me against Kari and against Ulial, Andreal hitting us. We held onto each other with all the strength we had.  
When the water cleared, Marigold stood in place completely soaked, our enemies in the floor but alive. It wasn't quick work, but we'd turned the tables enough to kill them. What did it matter that they were on the floor? That they had their backs to us? They'd done exactly that to us.  
There was no honor in war, no written law.  
The last of the fight lasted until the night came. I was such a nervous wreck, I bawled and screamed and punched whatever I could. We'd lost so much.  
Alrun was missing an ear, Marigold missed an eye, Kari was a wreck, Ulial could barely stand on his jacked-up leg. Half of my right breast was cut, if it'd been closer it would've nicked my nipple too.  
I slept fitfully, all the people I'd killed. My village, Arjan, Rwan, the many of the day, flooded my dreams with jeers and taunts. I couldn't kill them, they wouldn't stop hurting me.  
By dawn, I was so exhausted, I could collapse into place and sleep for months. Perhaps say Hi to Onor and my parents at long last.  
Kari petted my face, rubbing hers on mine, soothing my tears. I cried against her throat, spewing all of my dreams and nightmares, all of my wrong-doings, all of my wickedness and horribleness. She'd hate me, she probably already did after I'd abandoned her to her death at Rwan's hands. If she was alive, it wasn't because I'd protected her.  
“Shush, baby,” she cooed, enveloping me in her arms and rocking me. “We're alive, so is my people.”  
I blinked blearily. “How? We just killed them.”  
She sighed, inhaling at my scalp. “These were the spiders, felines and mers Rwan and Learna rallied together. The village you saw was not this small. They were the bad apples, trust me.”  
I swallowed, gripping her hard. “I do. I trust you.”  
She chuckled, raising with me in her arms. “Glad we've got that out of the way, then.”  
Marigold was at ease while he healed Ulial's wounds.  
“You'll always limp, but if you use a cane you won't notice the difference,” he was saying.  
Ulial nodded, smiling gently at him and then at our approach. Alrun was getting his ear cleaned by a grumbling Andreal, we could hear his admonishments and his father's hisses.  
“I'm fine, I wasn't damaged inside. I can hear you, you know?” Alrun kept groaning out.  
We laughed, at first small, until it became a boom and startled them. Andreal scowled harder still, he was going to get a permanent scowl if he wasn't carefully, and Alrun smiled good-naturally.  
Kari insisted on us visiting her village, to get to really know her tribe and Morkov's teachings, and that we shouldn't take at face value what Niahmal's and Seirian children had done. While it was true there was petty squabbles, which sometimes devolved into fights, Rwan and Learna had inflamed them until war.  
The village elder was amiable, soft-spoken and very easy to smile and pat a shoulder or an arm. I stared at his golden fur speckled with white-and-black the whole time, amazed at how beautiful it looked. Getting to know them, I felt stabs of regret. Or quasi-regret. If I'd burned down the village, I'd done an ever bigger atrocious.  
Marigold stayed behind, Andreal soothing him because of the mob. I think some things last forever, including traumas, but Marigold was fighting them to the best of his ability. The aid of his brother and father was invaluable.  
The thing I didn't get was my brother's bemusement and fondness for Andreal. He was crushing on the idiot and foul-mouthed, instead of wooing Marigold. I didn't get it, but I wasn't against it. Much.  
Perhaps I did a little, or lots, of quips about crushes being blind and deaf.  
Aniuma and Niumé did not appear in front of me again, but I got a feeling they were watching how this mismatched family was uniting the tribes to hold councils and talk where I and Ulial would be fair judges and advisers.  
I was biased against Seirian's children, I must admit, and my brother against Niahmal's. I think it made him feel better to have Marigold's back in some kind of way. While I preferred to give the stink eye to Marigold's new boyfriend, a male spider, which I just didn't understand why.  
I told so to Kari.  
“They're platonic,” Kari squeed, kissing my hand. “Marigold has Ornak completely wrapped on his little pinkie. That and Ornak is afraid of us.”  
I laughed, slapping her back. “He better be, or I'll rip his limbs like butterflies wings.”  
Kari chose to live with us and Alrun built houses for me and her, and for Ulial (and I think for Andreal too, because I sometimes saw his sword there, but never him) and for Marigold.  
I asked him if he wasn't lonely, living five minutes away from us. I'd meant it as a quip, but he wasn't versed on it.  
“Yes,” he said sighing. “I am, actually. I'm so used to brawls and shouts, that I have trouble sleeping without having snores around.”  
“Hmm,” I pondered and then waggled my eyebrows. “You should just find a new lover, I think it's time now that your children flew away.”  
His face turned pink as he pushed the hair from his face. “No, I couldn't.”  
But I could see he was thinking of it. I bet Kari some sex on the river's edge that in a few months he'd bring a lady-friend.  
“But what if it's a male-friend?” she'd inquired, looking longingly at the river. She loved being outside, day and night, and getting touchy-feely.  
I rolled my eyes. “It won't, and if it is, it's still on.”  
She grinned.  
We ended doing it in the river, her choice, because it wasn't a few months. A month later he introduced us to a Niumé's old-lady that had the most brash and booming laugh I'd ever heard.  
Andreal seethed and stormed away, Ulial closely behind. Marigold blushed and Ornak tried to soothe him when there was nothing to sooth because Marigold seemed happy for his father.  
I loved her. She was like my second mother, and I could poke at her sex life without care that she'd get offended.  
I followed Andreal, curious and because Kari had egged me on, only to find him romping on the ground, grinding against Ulial. I swerved, Kari whispering giggles at my ear, and got the hell out of there.  
I did not want to see my brother have sex, with whoever!

>End


End file.
